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From: Olgy Gary <omgary>
Date: Sun, 18 Feb 2007 10:55:40 -0700
> Did the word add to the story? Was it really necessary to
> describe the rattlesnake bite that way in a children's book?
I was thinking along the very same lines when I posted just now to the books4children list I belong to, so I wanted to share my thoughts with this list as well.
In and of itself I don't see a problem with the word scrotum myself. I think it boils down to when and where do parents choose to teach kids these things. And whether they want to be upstaged by words like scrotum being in what otherwise they would never think of pre-reading before buying it for their children, i.e., a Newbery award winner.
When I ran onsite book fairs, Newbery titles sold and sold well. And one reason parents told me over and over that they would buy those titles for their kids sight unseen is because the award carried a reputation of being excellent reading material and nothing in there that they would object to. This isn't censorship, the right a parent has of deciding when and where to talk to their kids about various issues. I know I for one didn't like having to talk about oral sex with my young elementary school kids over dinner but we had to...because our commander in chief had made it the news of the day.
If this had been a YA title then I don't believe there would be a controversy at all. We know and want YA titles to push the envelope. The question this brouhaha has brought to the table is how much do we want children titles to push the envelope as well? And what responsibility do authors and editors of titles published for the middle grade and younger age group have in choosing what gets published and what gets edited out?
I know at our own RMC-SCBWI conferences we've had top editors share with us that when confronted by questionable words they often opt for the safer route. If the heart of the story stays intact, if the "irreducible minimum" as we call it in Instructional Design, that which if taken out the content falls apart, if that is not affected by whether or not we use the word scrotum or any other word that would raise a flag in parents and librarians minds, then why not edit it to something else? Are we trying to say that without the word "scrotum" in it this title would not have won a Newbery?
That's really my question and what I wish to know. It has nothing to do with censorship. Coming from a country where censorship was the rule I abhor it and fight against it. In Cuba you cannot even think, let alone verbalize, that you disagree with anything without ending up in jail. So my question has to do with whether or not the author and publisher knew it would raise eyebrows and went ahead with it hoping the splash would add to the book's name awareness.
Olgy
------------------------------------------- Olgy Gary, Gen'l Manager
"children come first...because they're our greatest treasure!" http://www.childrencomefirst.com http://tinyurl.com/yk9tvq - Free CCF bulletin
Received on Sun 18 Feb 2007 11:55:40 AM CST
Date: Sun, 18 Feb 2007 10:55:40 -0700
> Did the word add to the story? Was it really necessary to
> describe the rattlesnake bite that way in a children's book?
I was thinking along the very same lines when I posted just now to the books4children list I belong to, so I wanted to share my thoughts with this list as well.
In and of itself I don't see a problem with the word scrotum myself. I think it boils down to when and where do parents choose to teach kids these things. And whether they want to be upstaged by words like scrotum being in what otherwise they would never think of pre-reading before buying it for their children, i.e., a Newbery award winner.
When I ran onsite book fairs, Newbery titles sold and sold well. And one reason parents told me over and over that they would buy those titles for their kids sight unseen is because the award carried a reputation of being excellent reading material and nothing in there that they would object to. This isn't censorship, the right a parent has of deciding when and where to talk to their kids about various issues. I know I for one didn't like having to talk about oral sex with my young elementary school kids over dinner but we had to...because our commander in chief had made it the news of the day.
If this had been a YA title then I don't believe there would be a controversy at all. We know and want YA titles to push the envelope. The question this brouhaha has brought to the table is how much do we want children titles to push the envelope as well? And what responsibility do authors and editors of titles published for the middle grade and younger age group have in choosing what gets published and what gets edited out?
I know at our own RMC-SCBWI conferences we've had top editors share with us that when confronted by questionable words they often opt for the safer route. If the heart of the story stays intact, if the "irreducible minimum" as we call it in Instructional Design, that which if taken out the content falls apart, if that is not affected by whether or not we use the word scrotum or any other word that would raise a flag in parents and librarians minds, then why not edit it to something else? Are we trying to say that without the word "scrotum" in it this title would not have won a Newbery?
That's really my question and what I wish to know. It has nothing to do with censorship. Coming from a country where censorship was the rule I abhor it and fight against it. In Cuba you cannot even think, let alone verbalize, that you disagree with anything without ending up in jail. So my question has to do with whether or not the author and publisher knew it would raise eyebrows and went ahead with it hoping the splash would add to the book's name awareness.
Olgy
------------------------------------------- Olgy Gary, Gen'l Manager
"children come first...because they're our greatest treasure!" http://www.childrencomefirst.com http://tinyurl.com/yk9tvq - Free CCF bulletin
Received on Sun 18 Feb 2007 11:55:40 AM CST
