The controversy over The Higher Power of Lucky, the children’s book that uses the word scrotum came up at a dinner party I was at recently and someone quipped, “oh that whole thing is just nuts!”
Although we may tend to agree and think the issue needs no more discussion than that, author and librarian Susan Patron defends her book and our profession much more eloquently in an essay for the the LA Times. Here’s my favorite part:
Of course, adults are right to fear a word in a book, although not, as in this instance, because it names a body part. They are right in the implied assumption that books have enormous power and influence. Children who read widely understand more about the world; they have a foundation for making better decisions. They think, and because of that, they may even challenge their parents’ beliefs. For some, a scary idea, but isn’t a thinking child preferable to one who accepts the world at face value and has no aim to change it for the better?
Wow. Thanks for reminding us why we’re librarians Susan.
Nice pun.
Personally I think dog owners should be required to put diapers on their pooches when they’re outdoors. After all, we don’t want children to wonder “what’s that?” They’re much too young to be exposed to such things.
In fact, throw out that bathwater. We’d better never let the little darlings bathe because they’d have to take their clothes off and they might wonder …
Heck, ban children. The world’s just too risky for them.