Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger
Some people have no sense of humor. Some people find obscenity where there is none. Case in point: Earlier this year, parents of a kindergarten student in the Annville-Cleona School District made a complaint about The Dirty Cowboy, a humorous picture book that their child brought home from the school library. The parents felt that Adam Rex’s illustrations of the cowboy’s partial nudity in the book were “pornographic” and wanted it banned. In April, the school board agreed with the parents and voted unanimously to remove the book from school libraries in the district.
Note: Before the school board’s vote, the district’s book review committee voted 5-1 to remove the book, with Cleona librarian Anita Mentzer voting against it. Other committee members included Annville-Cleona Superintendent Steven Houser, the assistant superintendent, the technology director, and Cleona Elementary’s principal. (School Library Journal)
There were protests against the banning of The Dirty Cowboy by free-speech organizations and an online petition in favor of repealing the ban that was signed by more than 300 people. The National Coalition Against Censorship and the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression sent a letter to the district asking that the book be returned to school library shelves.
An excerpt from the letter:
The practical effect of acceding to any request to restrict access to materials is to invite others to demand changes to reflect their beliefs, which would leave school officials vulnerable to multiple, possibly conflicting, demands, and leave the library in tatters. T he role of the library is to allow students and parents to make choices according to their own interests, experiences, and family values. No one has to read a book simply because it’s on the library shelf. We strongly urge you to keep The Dirty Cowboy in Annville-Cleona elementary school libraries. The decision to remove the book not only accedes to a specific viewpoint about the acceptability of nudity, but also deprives the entire student body of access to a highly praised book that many students, and their parents, would wish to read. Those who object to this book are entitled to their view, but they may not impose it on others. Any other decision threatens the principle that is essential to individual freedom, democracy, and a good education: the right to read, inquire, question, and think for ourselves.
Tim White reported in the Lebanon Daily News that despite outcry from the community, national media coverage, letters from the American Library Association and other organizations, and numerous pleas to reconsider, “the board refused to take up the matter again, citing concerns of causing a counter-controversy.” The board “stuck to its decision that the book was too dirty for young eyes.”
I’ll let you judge the book in question. Following is…
- A summary of The Dirty Cowboy taken from an article that appeared in School Library Journal
- a link to a Macmillan website where you can view illustrations in the book
- three videos on the subject of the book banning
- a list of honors and awards the book has received
Book Summary (SLJ)
The award-winning book tells the tale of a freckle-faced cowboy who decides to take his annual bath in a nearby river and asks his dog to guard his clothes. But the two get into fracas when the dog doesn’t recognize his fresh-smelling owner and refuses to hand over his clothes. The illustrations carefully conceal the cowboy’s private parts “while still keeping a G rating,” according to SLJ‘s review off the book.
The Dirty Cowboy illustrations
The Dirty Cowboy’s honors and awards include the following:
- Parents Choice Gold Medal
- Golden Kite Award (SCBWI – For Excellence in Picture Book Text)
- First Prize in the 2004 Marion Vannett Ridgway Awards
- International Reading Association 2004 Notable Book
- Bulletin Blue Ribbon (The Bulletin for the Center for Children’s Books)
- Finalist for the Spur Award (Western Writers of America)
- Finalist for Southeast Booksellers Association 2004 Book Award
- Nominated for Georgia Picture Book Award
Comments made by Amy Timberlake, author of The Dirty Cowboy, during an interview with Blogging Censorship:
If one or two parents can get books removed from a public library, where will it stop? Will there be any books left in the library? I tell you, everybody has opinions about books, and everybody has gotten offended now and again by a book. (If you haven’t, you’re not a reader.) It doesn’t mean the book shouldn’t be on the shelves.
Anyway, this is one of the reasons we hire people with special training to care for our libraries. Librarians have a process for choosing and buying books for everybody (and in the case of schools, these books also support the teachers’ curriculum).
It’s one thing to free shelf space because a book is not being checked out, but it’s quite another to have a well-used book banned because of the objections of a few parents…
Some Questions
- Do you think the illustrations of the cowboy’s partial nudity border on obscenity?
- Do you think a book should be banned from a public school library because the parents of one child object to it?
- Do you think that one or two people or an organization should have the right to impose their views of literature and art on others who may have different perspectives from theirs?
SOURCES
PA School District Bans ‘The Dirty Cowboy’ for Partial Nudity (School Library Journal)
A-C board to vote tonight on book ban (Lebanon Daily News)
‘The Dirty Cowboy’ author: Book ban ‘ridiculous’ (Lebanon Daily News)
COLUMN: Book ban is not community’s desire (Lebanon Daily News)
A-C residents complain about ‘The Dirty Cowboy’ ban (Lebanon Daily News)
American Library Association opposes ban of ‘The Dirty Cowboy’ (Lebanon Daily News)
U.S. News: School District Bans ‘The Dirty Cowboy’ Book (Newsy)
School districts shouldn’t ban books (Partiot-News)
Annville-Cleona School Board stays strong on decision to ban ‘The Dirty Cowboy’ (Partiot-News)
‘The Dirty Cowboy’ mess is about a lot more than one book (Patriot-News)
Nancy Eshelman: ‘Dirty’ pictures lead to banning of book about a bath (Patriot-News)
Pa. school board, parents spar over banning of Dirty Cowboy (First Amendment Center)
The So-Not-Dirty Cowboy Author Speaks (Blogging Censorship/National Coalition Against Censorship)
Letter to Members of the School Board Annville-Cleona School District (National Coalition Against Censorship and the American Booksellers Foundation)
Phil C,
“Let the librarians figure it out… That’s perfectly stated. In this case, the librarians did figure it out along with the local school board.”
You should have read my post more carefully. The school librarian spoke out AGAINST and voted AGAINST the removal of the book. School libraries have book selection policies. Librarians take many things into consideration when selecting books to add to their library collections because their funding is often quite limited.
*****
“People need to understand that not everyone is going to agree on what’s appropriate and what isn’t.”
Most people DO understand that not everyone will agree on what is appropriate reading material for children and what isn’t appropriate. The parents of this kindergarten child pressured the school district to remove a book that THEY felt was inappropriate. If they didn’t approve of the book, that’s their right. What’s wrong is their determining what is appropriate reading for the rest of the elementary school children in that school district.
*****
P.S. This has nothing to do with freedom of the press.
First off to all who have joined in. I congratulate everyone for a (wow)spirited and honest sounding debate that clearly 99% of the time (just through my perusing anyway) didn’t resort to name calling and the normal gutter talk that’s way too common these days.
Elaine:
“You should have read my post more carefully. The school librarian spoke out AGAINST and voted AGAINST the removal of the book. School libraries have book selection policies. Librarians take many things into consideration when selecting books to add to their library collections because their funding is often quite limited.”
You aren’t saying that the librarians should just have the ultimate power and report to nobody because you agree with this librarian in this case are you? Yes, the librarian voted no, but the other members of the board voted yes. It sounds like (I’m putting words in your mouth a little here…) you read that as the librarian had no say in the matter. I read that as the librarian got his/her opportunity to make the case and cast his/her vote, but was outvoted and that to me says that the librarian must have had a voice in the matter.
However, every person needs to work for someone. You can’t just set up little dictatorships and have one person making the rules for everyone. What happens when/if the next librarian comes along and disagrees with you? If you just slap a general rule that says only librarians can say what goes on the shelves then you open yourself up for the librarian that yanks everything you don’t like and you are right back where you started.
“Most people DO understand that not everyone will agree on what is appropriate reading material for children and what isn’t appropriate. The parents of this kindergarten child pressured the school district to remove a book that THEY felt was inappropriate. If they didn’t approve of the book, that’s their right. What’s wrong is their determining what is appropriate reading for the rest of the elementary school children in that school district.”
Now hold on a moment:. According to the story the parents complained to the board when they saw the book when their child brought it home. I think it’s fair to assume from those simple facts that we aren’t talking about people out on some kind of general campaign to go through all the bookshelves of all the libraries and “pressure” school boards to remove what they don’t like.
This doesn’t sound anything like that or ring true to me. It just sounded like parents not liking a book that their child brought home and complaining about it. If you want to call that pressure, ok. I call it filing a complaint. What’s wrong with that?
To best try and understand, I place myself when possible in their position. They find a kid with a book they don’t like (doesn’t matter what it is, maybe it’s hustler, maybe it’s the Bhagvad Gita…whatever). If you are the parents and it’s your kids, wouldn’t it be just a natural reacton to wonder what else little johnny is going to come home with and try to find out?
Like I mentioend before, put it in context. This is a kindergartner. I would absolutely agree that it’s overprotective. But so what?
It sounds like a lot of people are getting painted with a very broad brush and being very casual about the words we use.
Ban? Pressure? Determining what’s appropriate for everyone else?
Mmmm…I don’t think so. It’s just a couple parents complaining and a board that decided to pull the book. I don’t think this is 14c worth of change that’s owed, I think it’s just a few people taking a complaint and voting on it and it happened not to go the way some people would have voted. That’s just an imperfect world. I don’t think it’s a half step away from Nazi-land or anything.
And I still have to wonder if the children in that parent’s family actually bathe and if so, do they do it nekkid?
I found my father’s stash of dirty books, probably around 4th or 5th grade. I looked at all the pictures, read all the jokes, read parts of the books that didn’t have many pictures – looking for the “dirty” parts. Got my hands on a copy of Lady Chatterly’s Lover when it was the topic of a banning, again, looking for the “dirty” parts. Didn’t understand what all the fuss was about. But maybe I didn’t “get it”, whatever “it” was. Never would have looked for it if there wasn’t such a stink about it. I was curious. It didn’t hurt me at all. There might have been some hurt though if I had been caught. : )
Phil C 1, June 18, 2012 at 7:12 pm
Tell Woody we can go on the carnival ride together. They better not forget the goddam Hostess Twinkies.
Malisha, the sadder part is she may not have been able to do the necessary math. they spend more time on this idiocy of banning books then making sure kids can read, add and subtract
If it’s unimportant, then the book should stay.
If it’s important, then there should be a really serious debate, a really serious issue, and a well publicized result.
But you don’t get to have two upsetted upsettable parents cause a tempest in a teapot and then say, “It’s unimportant so do what WE WANT.”
One time I was in a grocery store and my bill was $18.86 and I gave the cashier a $20. She gave me back a dollar. I said I wanted the rest of my change. She showed me that the register said I should only get a dollar back. I said, “OK I see that, but it’s wrong. I should get another 14 cents.” She agreed that the total was $18.86 but she wouldn’t give me my 14 cents. There were people behind me. I said, “Give me my 14 cents and I’ll move along.” She said “IT’S ONLY FOURTEEN CENTS!” I said, “Right, but it’s MY 14 cents! If it’s so unimportant, GIVE IT TO ME!”
Long story interminable: I made her call the manager over, who angrily gave me 14 cents as if I was robbing her at gunpoint.
It was none of their business why that 14 cents was important to me, or even if it WAS. If it came down to who should attach more importance to the 14 cents, them or me, it would come up ME. But the issue is more “whose money is it?” than “Why do you care?”
Phil C1, June 18, 2012 at 6:41 pm
What is this, communist russia where the central committe determines all of our reading materials for us?
Yes the central committee as the school board reacting to 2 people and in effect letting those 2 people decide for all the children and all the parents in that public school.
About it being “a waste of hate and name calling,” first of all, I didn’t think the librarian hated or name-called anybody. Secondly, who’s to decide when “hating and name-calling” is a waste and when it’s useful?
Phil C, wrong argument.
This is not about making a law that a school library has to have all books classified as “children’s books” and the attempt to reduce my observation to absurdity was itself illogical.
The book already WAS in the library.
Some people got themselves into a snit about that and wanted it BANNED.
It was not an adult book classified as “soft porn,” it was a children’s book that did not offend the librarian in the least. She did not have to follow a law that said “CARRY EVERY CHILDREN’S BOOK” nor should she have to follow a law that says “BAN EVERY BOOK SOME OVEREXCITED NEUROTIC DISLIKES.”
“Looking at it as a ban” is appropriate when it is a ban. Banning that book is absurd. There’s your reductio, I believe.
Phil C,
“When they start telling people what we can and can not read, I agree that’s when they went too far, but they didn’t say you can’t read it, they just took it out of the elementary school librabry.”
And nobody said that any child was required to read “The Dirty Cowboy.”
BTW, removal of the book from the school libraries is–in effect–banning it from those libraries.
Yes Elaine,
You can definitely look at is as a ban if you like. I don’t see it that way. However can’t we just understand that we are talking kindergarten and elementary kids here? I mean really?
Do you really think we can wave our magic legal wand (I ouwld call it a hammer looking desperately for a nail) and make every new parent of a 5/6 yr old child all across America NOT a bit overprotective on what their kids see and read?
It’s just not practical, it’ll never work and you’ll just end up making enemies that you might rather have on your side when a REAL case comes along. I’m not arguing in favor or against this book. I really don’t give a hoot either way about the actual book itself. I’m trying to point out that this really is too much bother over nothing and just a waste of hate and name calling.
Phil C,
“However, we’re not talking about a public library. We’re talking about an elementary school library.”
The elementary schools in this district in Pennsylvania are public schools.
*****
“Elementary libraries are there for the purpose of having material the community/school feels that it’s students needs for their education.”
School libraries are their for the purpose of having books that support the curriculum and quality literature for children to read. “The Dirty Cowboy” received a number of awards and honors. Why should the parents of one child have power to get a book removed from school libraries that serve hundreds of children? Why should one or two people who perceive obscenity where there is none impose their views of what is acceptable literature for children on everyone else?
Mike Spindell 1, June 18, 2012 at 5:53 pm
“Why does that elementary school library also undoubtedly not have copies of hustler/penthouse/maxim (pick your favorite)? I hope you come to the normal conclusion that it doesn’t because it’s just not appropriate for an elementary schools library.”
Phil C,
Are you seriously comparing this children’s book to the publications you mention?
=========
I saw those categories when I was in the Navy. The Marines have nothing on the Navy.
I don’t agree with banning books. But some things just aren’t appropriate. Let the librarians figure it out. As long as the librarian isn’t Nurse Ratchet.
No Matt,
As I told Malisha, I’m not comparing the books, I’m pointing out that there are LOTS of books that elementary school library doesn’t have.
Let the librarians figure it out… That’s perfectly stated. In this case, the librarians did figure it out along with the local school board. Just because the way they decided to handle it, doesn’t match up with some peoples way of handling it, why does that make this a horrendous offense?
People need to understand that not everyone is going to agree on what’s appropriate and what isn’t. This case was handled at the local level and can be very easily reversed if they change their mind. What’s wrong with that?
Trying to force your idea of morality on other people is a double edge sword. It cuts both ways and I just wish more Americans would understand that. What works in upper east side ManhatFracisco may not work in hick-town south miss-olina (trying not to pick on a particular city/state here either way, but u all get the drift). You think that school went too far, fine, don’t send your kids there, nobodies forcing you either way.
When they start telling people what we can and can not read, I agree that’s when they went too far, but they didn’t say you can’t read it, they just took it out of the elementary school librabry. I bet you’d find the same book in the big “REAL” library a few blocks away. So go get it there if you want your kids to read it. I also didn’t see anything that says they banned the book as others have assumed.
Malisha,
You actually said penis. Twice. Most women wouldn’t say that.
Phil C, “The Dirty Cowboy” is a children’s book. Classified as such in the library classification system. Penthouse is actually not a children’s book.
Malisha,
That very well may be so. However does that mean you are arguing that every single book classified by some committe somewhere as a childrens book must be carried by every elementary school in the nation?
What is this, communist russia where the central committe determines all of our reading materials for us? I think you might actually be arguing the exact opposite of the case you are trying to make.
I suspect politics is going to come into play, so just to be clear where I stand, I’m neither D or R. If I had to put a label on myself it would be Libertarian if anything and I don’t think anyone has the final say on what books or reading material is available. This local board yanked a book. That same board can always come back and put it back on the shelf if they so choose. I don’t see anything wrong with that.
Now, as some people seemed to imply, if we were talking about a legitimate public library, or an actual case of Banning a book. I’d be right behind the argument against. But I don’t see any facts here that rise to that level.
I would also argue it’s more than likely that library has lots of books in it that aren’t listed as childrens books by the central committee. The school I’m sure has a selection of what it feels are all kinds of books in all kinds of categories, but they don’t have to have everything and I’m sure there’s a long list of books that they would feel aren’t appropriate.
Just because they happen to disagree with someone elses definition of appropriate, is no reason to make a federal case out of it. (IMO)
Matt dear, cats are always welcome in my garden….in fact I grow things just for them… 😉
Jackals and naughty little boys will however be taken to task….
“Why does that elementary school library also undoubtedly not have copies of hustler/penthouse/maxim (pick your favorite)? I hope you come to the normal conclusion that it doesn’t because it’s just not appropriate for an elementary schools library.”
Phil C,
Are you seriously comparing this children’s book to the publications you mention?
No Mike,
I’m not Directly comparing the books to each other. I’m just trying to point out that an elementary school library is not supposed to be a library of congress, all encompassing and providing every possible publication as a historical record. Elementary libraries are there for the purpose of having material the community/school feels that it’s students needs for their education.
If that particular school board feels any book isn’t appropriate, or necessaary, or they just don’t feel like it, whether it’s hustler, or “The Dirty Cowboy” it just doesn’t rise to a consitutional case of freedom of the press…
That’s all.
Furthermore, to characterize the school removing the book as a BAN is also just overstating it and frankly sounds like the author is trying to create drama where there isn’t any.
Matt J, I would say “put it in writing” so I could try to figure out what you’re saying, but you have already put it in writing and I can’t figure it out, so…
Check out the Vagina Monologues, the real one, by Eve Ensler. A friend of mine was one of the actresses who performed that in several venues. I was going to ask if anyone had written “The Penis Monologues” but then I realized, nearly every play written in the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th centuries’ subtitle was, “The Penis Monologues.”
Woosty,
going back to my garden now….
==========================
Cat’s like to poop in your flower garden. One of the neighbor ladies complained about the tabby male cat pooping in her flower garden. She said, I put a lot of effort into planting that flower garden. So, I put up a fence. The cat dug a hole under the fence and pooped in the flower garden anyway.
Malishsa,
Penis is as penis does. Can you say vagina. That was the question. Oh, wait, whether or not you can say penis was the question.
Wait just a moment here. Everyone is generalizing and not being at all accurate. According to the story, the parents went to the school board and they voted to have the book removed from the elementary school library.
So, to just blindly over react and say that they are BANNING the book in PUBLIC libraries is a gross overstatement to say the least.
I, like most people don’t want to see our country ever resort to book banning. We all know where that path leads and agree that it’s the wrong way to go even if our constitution didn’t fairly clearly prevent it.
However, we’re not talking about a public library. We’re talking about an elementary school library. And we’re not talking about two parents banning it, they went to their local board, they discussed it and they voted on it. That’s how our system is SUPPOSED to work and if you don’t like it I suggest you march right down to that same school board and ask them to re-open the subject!
However, while your at it, ask yourself. Why does that elementary school library also undoubtedly not have copies of hustler/penthouse/maxim (pick your favorite)? I hope you come to the normal conclusion that it doesn’t because it’s just not appropriate for an elementary schools library.
Save your enthusiasm and venom for another case. I’m sorry but this one just doesn’t rise to the level that should garner all the attention it’s been given here.
Barney Collier1
So Barney if someone on the ‘left’ decided say the bible was pornographic and violent and should not be in the library then by your argument that would be okay?
It is not ‘nutjobs’ who want any book to be in there, it is people who think, as Malisha said, when it comes to kid’s reading choices, that it is up to the parents – to decide for their own kid, not yours or mine, and by the way there are 2 libraries, not sure if you are talking about both, but a public library is, ahem, a Public library. The contents should not be dictated by a handful of people as to what can and cannot be read. You don’t like a book, hey here’s an idea – don’t take it our of the library, don’t read it.
Amazing how you took a man getting into a bath and dressed to do that, without being graphic into being laced with nudity and profanity.
Elaine I just read that article. I noticed they wrote nothing about the US. I wonder if and what requests they received from our guys, and what they did about them.