Back in 2017, I wrote a post including books that addressed censorship when I was preparing lessons for Banned Book Week in my elementary school library. There are quite a few more titles in existence at this point, partly because censorship is significantly increasing so creators are responding. I have a list over on Storygraph, but it seems that some people can't access it, so I am updating my post and sharing the newer titles. I am only sharing titles I've read myself so there are certainly more out there in the world. Feel free to comment with any that you think are helpful and that should be added to my TBR.
One definition (Britannica) of censorship is "the changing or the suppression or prohibition of speech or writing that is deemed subversive of the common good"
Another (Merriam-Webster) is "to suppress or delete as objectionable"
I wanted to share with students more than just which books have been banned and why, so we also looked at books that dealt with the banning of literacy altogether. Here is a list of books that show some of the many ways that censorship can happen with books, art, literacy laws, and even in the banning of the languages we may use to communicate.
Picture Books
Censorship in General
The Book Tree by Paul Czajak, illustrated by Rashin Kheiriyeh
The Day the Books Disappeared by Joanna Ho & Caroline Kusin Pritchard, illustrated by Dan Santat
I am a Story by Dan Yaccarino (censorship is not the theme, but is part of what has happened to stories over the years)
Is it Wrong to Ban Books? by Mary Austen
A Kids Book About Banned Books by National Coalition Against Censorship
The Rooster Who Would Not be Quiet by Carmen Agra Deedy, illustrated by Eugene Yelchin
This Book is Banned by Raj Haldar, illustrated by Julia Patton
This Book is Not for You by Shannon Hale, illustrated by Tracy Subisak
Censorship of Specific Individuals/Materials
The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse by Eric Carle
My Night in the Planetarium by Innosanto Nagara
Starry Messenger: Galileo Galilei by Peter Sís
The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sís
Language Bans/Erasure
Spanish is the Language of My Family by Michael Genhart
The Train by Jodie Callaghan, illustrated by Georgia Lesley
When I Was Eight & Not My Girl by Margaret Pokiak-Fenton, Christy Jordan-Fenton, illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard
When We Were Alone by David A. Robertson, illustrated by Julie Flett
Bread for Words: A Frederick Douglass Story by Shana Keller, illustrated by Kayla Stark
Frederick Douglass: The Lion Who Wrote History by Walter Dean Myers
Light in the Darkness by Lesa Cline-Ransome, illustrated by James Ransome
Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton by Don Tate
Steamboat School by Deborah Hopkinson, illustrated by Ron Husband
They Call Me Teach: Lessons in Freedom by Lesa Cline-Ransome illustrated by James Ransome
Chapter Books and Middle Grade Novels
Arthur and the Scare-Your-Pants-Off Club by Marc Brown
Attack of the Black Rectangles by Amy Sarig King
Fly by Night by Frances Hardinge
The Genius Under the Table: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Eugene Yelchin
The Landry News by Andrew Clements
Words on Fire by Jennifer A. Nielsen
For Adults: That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America by Amanda Jones
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