Canon, Censorship, and Stereotyping

Special Issue: American Quarterly 44.4 (Dec. 1992): Film Censorship. Does not cover children's films specifically but includes films often watched by children.

Bates, Stephen. "The Next Front in the Book Wars." New York Times Education Life 4A, 6 Nov. 1994: 22-23. U.S. public schools are beginning to tie into the Internet, but much there is unsuitable for adolescents. Recommends network-use policies, parent permission, "smartcards" that track use, etc. G.A.

Bierbaum, Esther Green. "Bad Books in Series: Nancy Drew in the Public Library." The Lion and the Unicorn 18.1 (June 1994): 92-102. Looks at ideas about what constitutes a "bad" book, how bad books have been labeled, and how public libraries have responded to that label in regard to the Nancy Drew series. G.A.

Campbell, Patty. "The Sand in the Oyster." Horn Book 70.5 (Sept./Oct. 1994): 619-23. Addresses the most taboo subject in YA books in the U.S., religion, and their inaccurate picture of American religious life. G.A.

Cart, Michael. "Annie . . . Still on Our Minds." Booklist 91.2 (15 Sept. 1994): 127. Discusses the lack of books about gay and lesbian themes and characters written for young adults and deplores attempts to censor existing books. K.P.

Chouinard, Daniel. "La censure et la subversion de l'institution littéraire." Canadian Children's Literature 75 (Fall 1994): 45-51. Quebec seems free of censorship, but a study of self-censorship and pre-publication censorship in Quebec still needs to be made. G.A.

Eyre, Gayner. "Reviewing and Censorship." International Review of Children's Literature and Librarianship 8.2 (1993): 115-27. Discusses the shift from a consensus among publishers before the 1960s to the present situation with its economic and social pressures, fewer reviews, and a concentration of power. Also describes some of the topics that have generated complaints. S.G.R.

Fisher, Leonard Everett. "Censorship and the Arts." ALAN Review 21.1 (Fall 1993): 59-65. Address given to the IRA President's Advisor Committee on Intellectual Freedom at the 1993 IRA Convention in San Antonio. Fisher reviews the history of censorship and relates his own experiences. G.A.

Ford, Michael Thomas. "Gay Books for Young Readers: When Caution Calls the Shots." Publishers Weekly 21 Feb. 1994: 24-27. Overview of the about 60 books with gay and lesbian characters published since 1969. Most such books are still published by small presses, and publishers are still vulnerable to outside pressure. G.A.

Frankel, Elsa R. "Bias and Stereotypes in the Portrayal of Palestinian Arabs in American Juvenile Trade Fiction, 1957-1985: An Analysis of a Selected Bibliography." Multicultural Review 3.3 (Sept. 1994): 48-52, 65. Analyzes 13 books for children in grades K-10 and outlines consistently negative portrayals of Palestinian Arabs. K.P.

Greenbaum, Vicky. "Expanding the Canon: Shaping Inclusive Reading Lists." English Journal 83.8 (Dec. 1994): 36-39. Some strategies for implementing change. G.A.

Greenbaum, Vicky. "Literature Out of the Closet: Bringing Gay and Lesbian Texts and Subtexts Out in High School English." English Journal 83.5 (Sept. 1994): 71-74. A lesbian teacher argues that not all texts are straight, even classics, and many imply gay relationships. G.A.

Hamanaka, Sheila. "I Hope Their Ears Are Burning: An Author of Color Talks about Racism in Children's Literature." New Advocate 7.4 (Fall 1994): 227-38. A fictional correspondence. G.A.

Haugland, Ann. "The Crack in the Old Canon: Culture and Commerce." The Lion and the Unicorn 18.1 (June 1994): 48-59. Argues against the old view of children's literature as either serious or mass market, which excludes from consideration series books. G.A.

Heim, Annette B. "Beyond the Stereotype." School Library Journal 40.9 (Sept. 1994): 139-42. Establishes 5 criteria for evaluating fiction that includes mentally disabled children and young adults. Recommended titles. K.P.

"Is That Book Politically Correct? Truth and Trends in Historical Literature for Young People." JOYS 7.2 (Winter 1994): 159-75. Three pieces and a discussion presented at the 1993 ALA Conference by Hazel Rochman, Masha Kabakow Rudman, and Diane Stanley on political correctness as it applies to...