Children’s Bestselling Book Faces Florida Ban Over Claim It “Damaged Souls”
deadline.comOne of the titles in the bestselling Arthur children’s book series faces a potential ban after a conservative claimant said that it “damaged souls.” The Arthur series, penned by US author Marc Brown, tell the stories of a fictional young aardvark Arthur and his family and friends.
Of nearly 50 titles in the series – and sales of more than 60million in the US alone – it is Arthur’s Birthday, published in 1989, that has caused consternation.
The Guardian reports that on 12 July, Bruce Friedman, a member of the Florida’s Clay county school district community, filed a challenge to the book being available in classrooms because of the storyline: Arthur receiving a birthday present from Francine the monkey of a glass bottle, with the words “Francine’s Spin the Bottle Game” printed on it.
The Daily Beast has published the whole complaint, with the reason for Friedman’s ban request being “to protect children.” Friedman states: “It is not appropriate to discuss ‘spin the bottle’ with elementary school children.
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