A book that empowers children to confront bullies and a classic 1963 Dr. Seuss picture book came under review by the Toronto Public Library after they were flagged by displeased readers as “violent.”
Every year the library pores through a list of formal customer complaints about its collection and determines whether to ban books from circulation.
Seven books made the 2013 list and alongside a murder mystery about dismembered bodies and a steamy romance novel, two books in the children’s collection, “Lizzy’s Lion” and “Hop on Pop” by Dr. Seuss, were also condemned by readers.
The library has described “Hop on Pop” as a “humourous” and “well-loved” children’s book aimed at engaging children while strengthening reading skills. “Lizzy’s Lion” tells the story of a little girl who musters up the courage to face bullies by finding her inner strength through her “pet” lion.
Some readers, however, took away very different messages.
“Hop on Pop” was criticized for “encouraging children to use violence against their fathers.” The complainant asked the library to issue an “apology to fathers in the GTA” and “pay for damages resulting from the book.”
“Lizzy’s Lion” was framed as “violent and disturbing” by one library patron.
Other items under review included an Adam Sandler DVD and Bill O’Reilly’s “Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot” because it “contains falsehoods” by presenting the prevailing theory that Kennedy was killed by Lee Harvard Oswald alone. Along with a request to ban the book, the reader also asked that the publisher be notified.
The materials review committee ultimately decided all items on the 2013 list will remain on library shelves.