poedua
Mar 21st, 2006, 10:52 PM
Taken from the Toronto Star today. The issue is freedom of expression protected under the Charter IMO. It involves a children's book about the Middle East ( conflict ) being restricted by some Ontario school board libraries.
Authors, librarians defend kids' book pulled from some school library shelves after complaints from Jewish Congress
Ontario's literary community, led by PEN Canada, has mounted an impassioned defence of a controversial children's book about the Middle East. At an emotional news conference in a Toronto library yesterday, PEN representatives — joined by the Writer's Guild, publishers, authors, librarians, parents and one young reader — pleaded with school boards to reverse their objections to Three Wishes by Deborah Ellis.
The Toronto, York, Greater Essex and Ottawa public boards have bowed to political pressure by deciding to limit younger elementary students' access to Three Wishes, the writers and their representatives said.
"This decision demonstrates a shocking lack of respect for children," said Groundwood Books founder and Ellis's publisher Patsy Aldana about the Toronto District School Board's recent move to take the book off elementary library shelves and lend it only by special request to students in Grade 7 and 8.In Three Wishes, Ellis interviews children on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The children describe their isolation from one another, the realities of suicide bombings and military checkpoints.
The Canadian Jewish Congress touched off the controversy when it wrote the library association and school boards asking them to reconsider Three Wishes as a selection of the Ontario Library Association's Silver Birch reading program. The awards encourage children in Grade 4 to 6 to read Canadian books and then vote for their favourites.
The CJC argued that the book lacked historical context and was too sophisticated for children in Grades 4 to 6. It also claimed Three Wishes demonized people on both sides of the conflict."I'm a bit shocked to be here. I didn't think this could happen here any more," journalist and social activist June Callwood said at yesterday's press conference.
PEN Canada is a writers' association dedicated to defending freedom of expression. Callwood also read a statement by Ellis, who was unable to attend yesterday. "Not all voices are equal and not all children are equal," wrote Ellis. The author's statement also talked about how some children are so precious that adults are willing to die for them, and how others are silent casualties of conflict and poverty. "Kids can handle the truth about what is being done to other children. It's adults who get squeamish," her statement said. Novelist Lawrence Hill said that "any day of the week, a child can turn on the television at eight o'clock and watch hateful and gratuitous acts of violence. This is a staple of our popular culture, and there is no groundswell of opposition to it. "But when one book quotes children talking about what it's like to live in a war zone, somebody wants to ban it." Hill's 9-year-old stepdaughter Evie Freedman, who called Ellis her idol, wondered at kids who had to get up at 5 a.m. to go through military checkpoints. "I get up at 7 a.m.," she said.
The Halton public board, where Evie attends school in Burlington, has not taken any steps to remove Three Wishes. The Peel board has defended the book's place in its libraries and in the Silver Birch program.Although the Limestone board in the Kingston area removed the book while it was under review, it has restored Three Wishes to its libraries. At the Durham District School Board, which removed Harry Potter books from its schools a few years ago, Ellis's 112-page book is under review. Officials there have refused to be interviewed on the review procedure.
Jewish Congress director Len Rudner stood by his group's objections to the book. "Our position was never that this book should be removed from the schools," only that it be withdrawn from the Silver Birch program, he said, adding he was nevertheless pleased with the Toronto board's decision."We asked boards to evaluate the book using their own educational expertise — consider our perspective and do as you think is fit," said Rudner. But retired University of Guelph librarian Bernard Katz told the gathering that the Canadian Jewish Congress "does not represent the Jewish community in its entirety. There is no question the process that has taken place is disgraceful." He added that the school board's reaction to the book has been devastating for librarians.
Toronto board Chair Sheila Ward said she had no desire to second-guess the decision made by senior board librarians and administrators, and flatly rejected allegations of censorship or book banning."People who represent writers, communicators — if they can't distinguish between banning and age-appropriateness they don't deserve to be paid attention to," said Ward. To overturn the decision would send a message to groups that if they scream loud enough the board would cave to their demands, she said, adding that the policy of restricting younger students' access to the book was not censorship.
But trustee Chris Bolton, who attended yesterday's event, said he planned to put the issue before the board's elected officials in April, even though it would be the end of the school year.
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1142894779933&call_pageid=968350130169&col=969483202845
Authors, librarians defend kids' book pulled from some school library shelves after complaints from Jewish Congress
Ontario's literary community, led by PEN Canada, has mounted an impassioned defence of a controversial children's book about the Middle East. At an emotional news conference in a Toronto library yesterday, PEN representatives — joined by the Writer's Guild, publishers, authors, librarians, parents and one young reader — pleaded with school boards to reverse their objections to Three Wishes by Deborah Ellis.
The Toronto, York, Greater Essex and Ottawa public boards have bowed to political pressure by deciding to limit younger elementary students' access to Three Wishes, the writers and their representatives said.
"This decision demonstrates a shocking lack of respect for children," said Groundwood Books founder and Ellis's publisher Patsy Aldana about the Toronto District School Board's recent move to take the book off elementary library shelves and lend it only by special request to students in Grade 7 and 8.In Three Wishes, Ellis interviews children on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The children describe their isolation from one another, the realities of suicide bombings and military checkpoints.
The Canadian Jewish Congress touched off the controversy when it wrote the library association and school boards asking them to reconsider Three Wishes as a selection of the Ontario Library Association's Silver Birch reading program. The awards encourage children in Grade 4 to 6 to read Canadian books and then vote for their favourites.
The CJC argued that the book lacked historical context and was too sophisticated for children in Grades 4 to 6. It also claimed Three Wishes demonized people on both sides of the conflict."I'm a bit shocked to be here. I didn't think this could happen here any more," journalist and social activist June Callwood said at yesterday's press conference.
PEN Canada is a writers' association dedicated to defending freedom of expression. Callwood also read a statement by Ellis, who was unable to attend yesterday. "Not all voices are equal and not all children are equal," wrote Ellis. The author's statement also talked about how some children are so precious that adults are willing to die for them, and how others are silent casualties of conflict and poverty. "Kids can handle the truth about what is being done to other children. It's adults who get squeamish," her statement said. Novelist Lawrence Hill said that "any day of the week, a child can turn on the television at eight o'clock and watch hateful and gratuitous acts of violence. This is a staple of our popular culture, and there is no groundswell of opposition to it. "But when one book quotes children talking about what it's like to live in a war zone, somebody wants to ban it." Hill's 9-year-old stepdaughter Evie Freedman, who called Ellis her idol, wondered at kids who had to get up at 5 a.m. to go through military checkpoints. "I get up at 7 a.m.," she said.
The Halton public board, where Evie attends school in Burlington, has not taken any steps to remove Three Wishes. The Peel board has defended the book's place in its libraries and in the Silver Birch program.Although the Limestone board in the Kingston area removed the book while it was under review, it has restored Three Wishes to its libraries. At the Durham District School Board, which removed Harry Potter books from its schools a few years ago, Ellis's 112-page book is under review. Officials there have refused to be interviewed on the review procedure.
Jewish Congress director Len Rudner stood by his group's objections to the book. "Our position was never that this book should be removed from the schools," only that it be withdrawn from the Silver Birch program, he said, adding he was nevertheless pleased with the Toronto board's decision."We asked boards to evaluate the book using their own educational expertise — consider our perspective and do as you think is fit," said Rudner. But retired University of Guelph librarian Bernard Katz told the gathering that the Canadian Jewish Congress "does not represent the Jewish community in its entirety. There is no question the process that has taken place is disgraceful." He added that the school board's reaction to the book has been devastating for librarians.
Toronto board Chair Sheila Ward said she had no desire to second-guess the decision made by senior board librarians and administrators, and flatly rejected allegations of censorship or book banning."People who represent writers, communicators — if they can't distinguish between banning and age-appropriateness they don't deserve to be paid attention to," said Ward. To overturn the decision would send a message to groups that if they scream loud enough the board would cave to their demands, she said, adding that the policy of restricting younger students' access to the book was not censorship.
But trustee Chris Bolton, who attended yesterday's event, said he planned to put the issue before the board's elected officials in April, even though it would be the end of the school year.
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1142894779933&call_pageid=968350130169&col=969483202845