From: Vicki Cobb <vicki.cobb2>
Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2007 12:12:23 -0500

I've been reading this debate with great interest. I think Susan Patron should be proud that her book has generated this conversation because by now, those librarians who wished to keep the book from their shelves should be feeling ashamed of themselves.The Newbery committee should also be feeling good about their selection.

I once felt immune from censorship thinking my books weren't controversial. But I faced a rude awakening when I was informed by a librarian the her book committee decided not to buy Science Experiments You Can Eat because they felt too much handling of food was unhealthy for children. Later, she came up to me and told me she had changed her mind.

Let's hope that this brouhaha about the proper word for a part of a dog's anatomy that hangs out there for all to see (unless we start diapering dogs) reminds those wayward librarians about the role of literature in society and why (hopefully) they entered their profession.

Vicki Cobb
Received on Tue 20 Feb 2007 11:12:23 AM CST