Posted on 11/18/2007 7:45:00 PM PST by bruinbirdman
Politically-correct publishers are censoring children's books because of fears over health and safety, according to a leading author.
Lindsey Gardiner, who has written and illustrated 15 children's books, claims publishers banned youngsters from walking alone in one novel and removed sharp objects from another.
Her latest book, Who Wants A Dragon?, originally featured a dragon toasting marshmallows on flames from his nostrils as he sat around a campfire. She said her publishers insisted that she change the scene because "it looks dangerous and goes against health and safety."
Miss Gardiner, 36, who is based in Dundee, said: "It does seem to be worse in the UK, more than anywhere else. I have never had a hassle having things changed in places like Japan."
She complained that the requests have no consistency and added: "I have seen others kids' books that have dragons breathing fire."
Another of her novels, When Poppy and Max Grow Up, initially included a scene where a little boy climbed a ladder, but that too was changed.
"They didn't allow Max to be on a ladder because they thought it was precarious. But when I changed it, I had him standing on a pile of three paint cans, which is much more dangerous, and they didn't have a problem with that," she said.
"There is also a cooker in the story and I had one of the elements glowing red, because the cooker was switched on. But they didn't allow that either, and I had to change it to green."
The "crazy" changes did not fool their intended audience, she said. "When I go to book signings, I sometimes take with me some colouring-in pictures, and the kids draw the elements as red because it is on and it's hot. They are not stupid," she added.
Nicola Morgan, an award-winning children's author who has written more than 80 books, agreed that pressure was being placed on writers to remove dangerous items from their work. Miss Morgan, from Edinburgh, said: "In one recent story I did, I was allowed fire, alcohol, drowning and a chicken-eating python, but the one thing I didn't get past the editor was a scene with a Ouija board.
"Children need to learn the dangers of fire and alcohol and of drowning, but the fear surrounding the Ouija board was that kids might not know what it is and go and try it."
She said she thought editors were worried that parents might complain and wanted to "cover their backs".
The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators warned against censoring young people's fiction.
A spokesman said: "Honest literature opens communication and gives young people the opportunity to test their values and make positive choices for their lives."
Just when you think PC can’t get stupider...........
The oblong neutral colored blob sat against the slightly curved wall. The End. Big Brother was pleased.
PC = Letting morons run the world
J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis could not have written anything in this environment. Middle-Earth and Narnia would never have become the legends of today.
See Labour/Socialist hypocrisy here:
BBC Three's hairy women and delinquent dogs
yitbos
Hehehe!
Jack and Jill fastened their seat belts before they took the environmentally friendly elevator up the hill.
Big Brother? You are a sexist for implying that only men can be power-mad tyrants. Big Sibling is not pleased.
I watched those Roadrunner cartoons and somehow survived.
How did we ever survive?
It takes a minimum of four loops of rope to safely secure a giant ACME firework to its carriage.
Dear sir,
We have noted several unsavory elements in your recent submission.
(1) We object to the word 'colored', which we find to be racially insensitive.
(2) We find that the phrase 'the end' causes elevated stress in a small number of children, and may stifle creativity. It is better to leave the ending ambiguous, so as to help children question tradition and morals, deconstruct any notions of truth, and visualize a fiction at peace with their inner Zen.
(3) The word 'big' connotes a comparison and is thus overly judgmental. For its replacements, in this context, consider "benevolent" or "compassionate".
(4) The word 'brother', in failing to be gender neutral, not only alienates females, but also disenfranchises members of the queer community with ambiguous gender. In this context, replace with 'guardian', 'sentinel', or 'protector'.
Our recommended revision is thus:
The oblong blob sat against the slightly curved wall. It was sunny. Benevolent sentinel was pleased.
“sibling” is not an approved word (INGSOC). Thought crimes will not be tolerated.
Why not just burn all the books and be done with it? Then they could go after the paintings they didn’t like and the music that offended them. Socialist idiots!
Thank God Robert Lous Stevenson didn’t have to put up with this cr*p! Can you imagine a PC version of “Treasure Island” or “Kidnapped”?
Earn your own MA, Deconstructed Literature, College of Liberal Politically Correct Arts, extension course, by offering your own neo-lobotomized version of “Treasure Island” or “Kidnapped”. Internet applications accepted with PayPal account.
yitbos
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.