Banned Books

The banning of books and other forms of censorship are not new. Since at least the fourth century B.C., some groups and individuals have encouraged the banning or outright destruction of reading material in the name of morality or for political or religious reasons. Here is a list of the most frequently attacked children's books in recent years and the objections to them.

Book	Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
Reason	Too depressing.
Book	Blubber, by Judy Blume
Reason	The characters curse and the mean-spirited ringleader is never punished for her cruelty.
Book	Bony-Legs, by Joanna Cole
Reason	Deals with subjects such as magic and witchraft.
Book	The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
Reason	Offensive language.
Book	Confessions of an Only Child, by Norma Klein
Reason	Use of profanity by the lead character's father.
Book	Harriet, the Spy, by Louise Fitzhugh
Reason	Teaches children to lie, spy, talk back, and curse.
Book	A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich, by Alice Childress
Reason	Anti-American and immoral.
Book	The House without a Christmas Tree, by Gail Rock
Reason	Uses the word damn.
Book	In a Dark, Dark Room, and Other Scary Stories, by Alvin Schwartz
Reason	Too morbid for children.
Book	In the Night Kitchen, by Maurice Sendak
Reason	Nudity; Mickey loses his pajamas during his fall in the kitchen.
Book	A Light in the Attic, by Shel Silverstein
Reason	A suggestive illustration that might encourage kids to break dishes so they won't have to dry them.
Book	Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, by William Steig
Reason	The characters are all shown as animals; the police are presented as pigs.