Questions remain over book review process
I am glad the National Library Board (NLB) will be returning two of the withdrawn books to its shelves, albeit to the adult section, and reviewing its processes to be more transparent. More clarification is needed, though.
I am glad the National Library Board (NLB) will be returning two of the withdrawn books to its shelves, albeit to the adult section, and reviewing its processes to be more transparent. More clarification is needed, though.
Initially, on July 8, the NLB stated: “In selecting children’s books, we sieve through the contents and exercise our best judgement. We also refer to synopses, reviews and other books written by the authors.”
The NLB’s chief executive reiterated this in the latest media briefing. (“NLB to evaluate its processes for reviewing feedback on books”; July 19)
Given its self-proclaimed “pro-family” stance, I find it curious the NLB added And Tango Makes Three to its collection even though the book’s synopsis states: “Two male penguins fall in love and start a family by taking turns sitting on an abandoned egg until it hatches.”
That non-heterosexual couples are depicted in The White Swan Express and Who’s In My Family is not stated in their respective synopses, but were in editorial reviews found on the same page as their synopses in book retail websites such as Barnes & Noble and Amazon.
Publishers Weekly’s review of The White Swan Express states: “With its matter-of-fact mix of parents that include two married couples, a lesbian couple and a single mother, the book’s understated message — that families come in all shapes and sizes and are bound together by love — comes through loudly and clearly.”
The School Library Journal’s review of Who’s In My Family states: “As readers journey to the zoo with Nellie, Gus and their family, they learn about where people live, what they eat, their habits and hobbies and how their families are composed, including references to single parents and same-sex couples.”
It is pertinent to ask whether any information excluded from these synopses/reviews and discovered only upon perusing the whole book led to the subsequent withdrawal of the books.
Since the NLB takes “special care of the children’s section”, it must have seen value in acquiring these books. Were their respective merits so undermined by concerns about age-appropriateness that withdrawing them was the only decision the NLB saw fit initially?
Now that it has softened its stance at the behest of the Communications and Information Minister, I hope the NLB will, under its improved policies, review books that have been pulped, such as Who’s In My Family, and consider reinstating them.
For transparency, it should also consider releasing a full list of books that have been pulped in the past.