Harrod: Rabbits, penguins, and the cycle of censorship

by Kerol Harrod

In 1958, Garth Williams published a picture book called "The Rabbits’ Wedding." It portrayed a white rabbit and a black rabbit falling in love and getting married. The book was attacked by politicians and groups that were opposed to what they saw as a depiction of interracial marriage, and it was banned at the time in Alabama libraries (Graham, 2002).

Alabama state senator E.O. Eddins even went so far as to say “this book and many others should be taken off the shelves and burned” (Wiegand & Wiegand, 2018). Interracial relationships weren’t new in 1958, but it was new to see them portrayed in a children’s book, and that made people uncomfortable.

Fast forward to 2023, where we are seeing a new wave of book challenges based on race and gender. Even in the midst of the current battle for intellectual freedom, there is reason to hope. "The Rabbits’ Wedding" would not get a second glance by today’s book banners, and that’s a good thing. What was once scandalous, a black and a white rabbit having a wedding in a meadow, is now quaint, old-fashioned, even. What might that mean for books that are frequently challenged today?

Consider the cute picture book about a young penguin with two dads. "And Tango Makes Three" by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson is based on the true story of two male penguins who cared for a chick together in the Central Park Zoo (Carter, 2017). Published in 2005, the book faced many challenges in its first few years (Magnuson, 2011). The book has remained a favorite target; in fact, according to PEN America, it shared a three-way tie for the most challenged picture book during the 2021-2022 school year (Tolin, 2023).

What will become of today’s hot button books that garner so much negative attention? Just like "The Rabbits’ Wedding," in a generation or two, books like "And Tango Makes Three" will hopefully be seen as nothing but mainstream.

That doesn’t mean we can just sit idly by in the meantime and hope for the best. Other social and political issues will arise in the future, and that will spur new book challenges so vigilance is important. We need to find ways to be active in our own communities and help ensure that libraries of the future truly have something for everyone: rabbits, penguins and whatever comes next. 

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Page last updated 11:12 PM, March 6, 2023