Maurice Sendak Book "Obscene"?

Three things disturb me about the Tennesse challenge of this book illustrated, in part, by Maurice Sendak: (1) that the mother sees these simple drawings of the human body as "obscene," (2) that she went immediately to the media, not bothering to discuss the issue with the library, and (3) that the book has only been checked out twice in ten years (what is that about?) .

One final comment. A library is literally about choices. When you limit the choices, you literally limit the definition of that library. So when it comes to banning or pulling books, the bar has to be set very, very high. The question asked can't merely be "Will someone else be offended by this book?" The question to be asked is, "Will someone else want this book for themselves or their child?" If the answer is yes, the answer to whether a book should be pulled is, in my opinion, almost always "no."

Those of you who want to ban books from public libraries? Please try to keep that in mind.

Jackie Taylor says she's appalled that a poetry book her 9-year-old daughter checked out at Cedar Grove Elementary School features what she considers "obscene" images.

Pointing out caricatures of a naked young boy and a nursing mother and her carnivorous baby, Taylor believes the book, "I Saw Esau, The Schoolchild's Pocket Book," is not appropriate for her daughter, Bethany.I understand that it is a book of poetry, but there is a fine line between poetry art and porn and this book's illustrations are absolutely offensive in every way," Taylor said. "They are inappropriate for a third-grader, and the fact that she had access to this book frightens me for what else she has access to."

The book, by Iona Opie, is a collection of schoolyard jokes, riddles, insults and jump-rope rhymes. Watercolor, colored pencil and ink illustrations accompany the text. It was published in 1992.

Bethany checked out the book as part of a class assignment. The book was not mandatory reading, her mother said.

Elizabeth Hicks, the school's librarian, said Taylor did not contact her about her concerns, but officials would have addressed the issue in a timely fashion.

"It saddens me that she did not attempt to contact us — myself personally or the administration — about her concerns. If a parent has a concern, we want to share that with them," Hicks said.

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