Controversial Children's Picture Books..

(according to amazon.com)

Standing Up by Marie-Anne Gillet; Isabelle Gilboux

"A book on a boy learning how to pee, as the title suggests, standing up."

Where Willy Went by Nicholas Allan

Willy is a fast swimming sperm and this story takes on a rather odd whimsical approach to the baby-making process, though it does provide some insight for youngsters on where babies come from."

In the Night Kitchen (Caldecott Collection) by Maurice Sendak

Challenged because of the little boy shown nude in the story, Sendak's classic has inspired some folks (even librarians) to draw clothes or glue clothes on him!"

And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell

"Based on the true story of two male penguins at the zoo who hatch and raise an orphaned chick, this book might take anthropomorphizing a bit far at times. But this book has folks up in arms for the implications it might have in the human world. Ages 6 and up."

The Un-Wedding by Babette Cole

"A startlingly different book on divorce where two kids whose parents hate each other have an "unwedding" for them. Not necessarily the most realistic approach to divorce for most."

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

"Yes, this good old classic has a controversy surrounding it: the picture of the author on the back originally had a cigarette in his hand, the publisher digitally erased it from later publications and hubbub ensued in the book community!"

The Lorax (Classic Seuss) by Dr. Seuss

"This classic by Dr. Seuess won the ire of the logging industry, who challenged it as negatively portraying said industry in this "tree hugger" book."

Where's Waldo?: Reissue by Martin Handford

"I'm unaware whether the reissue has the challenged pick, but apparently when most folks were looking for Waldo, someone found a lady with her bikini top off . . . furor naturally followed."

The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf

"Not a recent controversy, but when Ferdinand came out it was challenged as promoting a pacifist agenda."

Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam

"Plenty of Halloween stuff gets challenged on the basis that it includes the occult and/or frightening images for children, this is one of the top challenged picture books on the subject."

The Story of Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman

Ah, a famous book for controversy, more for the pics than the story, since the boy in the story is actually Indian. Several reworkings of this are available that change the title and the images, but the classic tale still raises eyebrows."

Little Red Riding Hood by Trina Schart Hyman

"I think this is the version that was challenged on the basis of Red Riding Hood having wine in that basket she was taking to grandma . . ."

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (Stories to Go!) by William Steig

"The biggest issue I've heard in regards to this Steig classic is that all the characters are animals of one sort or another. And Steig draws the police as--you guessed it--pigs."

Happy to Be Nappy (Jump at the Sun) by bell hooks

"Another book that's got mixed opinions. The idea of "nappy hair" seems to raise red flags, though the book is a positive image builder for gals that have this sort of hair."

Manneken Pis: A Simple Story of a Boy Who Peed on a War by Vladimir Radunsky

"Okay, don't know what I think of this book, except that it's definitely a book for boys! About a boy who stops a war by peeing on it."

Pinkerton, Behave! by Steven Kellogg

"Kellog's "bad dog" story may be funny, but many feel the burgaler holding a gun to the mother's head not once, but twice in pictures is just unacceptably scary for a picture book for young children."

The Sissy Duckling by Harvey Fierstein

"If you can't tell from the cover, there is a definite gay theme to this story by Harvey Fierstein, but there's also an objection to the use of "Sissy" as a positive thing, as the word is meant as an insult."

A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein

"This grandmaster of children's poetry is often challenged for his outrageous and often shocking poems. "Someone Ate the Baby" being an example."

The Amazing Bone (Reading Rainbow Book) by William Steig

"Another Steig on the list! Here there were objections because one of the animal characters uses tobacco."

The Five Chinese Brothers (Paperstar) by Claire Huchet Bishop

"This story of five brothers with special talents who manage to thwart execution is one I loved as a child. It's a folk tale with many versions, but this version has raised eyebrows because of its violent content, and for the non-PC character depictions."

The Stupids Have a Ball (Sandpiper) by Harry G. Allard

"This is the 27th most censored book on the ALA's top hundred challenged books from 1990-1999. Mostly for depicting family in a derogatory way."

The Rabbits' Wedding by Garth Williams

"Here's a historical one, this one was put on the reserve shelf in Alabama in 1959 because it depicted a black rabbit marrying a white rabbit. Thus, I suppose, interracial marriage. Wonder what they made of the Owl and the Pussycat . .

Little Zizi by Thierry Lenain