What is Appropriate Reading

This morning there was a headline about a book that was recalled by Scholastic Books.  It was a story about slaves baking a cake for George Washington but apparently the slaves looked too happy while baking the cake and that would give children a wrong impression of slavery.  So my question right now is – why would that not have been considered when the book was first pitched to the publisher?  Apparently the year before there had been another book about slavery where the slaves looked too happy.

I’m not an expert on children but I would consider myself an expert on reading.  I began devouring books in Grade 4 when we first had a “library” at the back of the classroom.   I read anything that came to hand and I remembered absolutely everything that I read.  So when I began the Nancy Drew series I would question inconsistencies and it wasn’t long before I wondered why Nancy always won the sports even though George was the tomboy of the trio.  It did not strike me as odd that Ma Ingalls did not like Indians considering she was in the middle of an Indian uprising.  There was a balance in the books because Pa did like Indians and appreciated their knowledge.  When I read Gone with the Wind when at 14  I developed a sympathy for the South but I was never fooled into believing that slavery was good or that most slaves didn’t suffer terribly under that institution.  These are just some of the things I recall as “negative” exposure as a young reader. 

What I mean to say is that if parents have discussions with their children on a variety of subjects regularly and if the children are good readers I believe that they can discern for themselves what is right and what is questionable.  I realize that this doesn’t happen in all homes or in fact most homes so some books may not be appropriate to teach in school.

After reading the article I searched online for guidance on children’s books and appropriate reading and was amazed at how many excellent sites are out there.  I was also a little surprised at some of the recommended reading for youth but that’s for another time!  Bottom line, parents should encourage children to read a variety of books and should take the time to know what their children are reading.  Best of all, they should talk with their children daily.