Bookseller: Scrotum Book Gets Bum Rap
Diane Capriola, co-owner of Little Shop of Stories in Decatur, Ga., writes:
I wanted to comment on today's brief article about all the controversy surrounding The Higher Power of Lucky. Ironically enough, I began reading this book on Saturday night, only to wake up Sunday morning (kind of late I'll admit) to have my husband tell me about a front page story in the Sunday Times about a children's book with the word scrotum in it.
I was a bit surprised by the use of the word, since after all, it's not a word you see often in a book for kids. But I do think that the controversy is completely uncalled for. There is nothing at all subversive about this book--rather, reading it is like the slow motion unwrapping of a much-desired gift on Christmas morning. It is that good. To take it off bookshelves or to refuse to lend it would be an incredible shame for children, parents and teachers.
The use of that word has both nothing and everything to do with what the book is about. Lucky, the plucky 10-year-old protagonist, is trying to find her way in the world. She is curious and looks to the small circle of adults in her life to outfit her with what she needs, even if she sometimes gets the information from them through plain old eavesdropping. She is seeking her "higher power"--that intangible force which will help her overcome, or at least survive, some seemingly insurmountable events in her life. But it is also a coming-of-age-story as she begins to feel the stirrings of adolescence and to let go of some of her young child ways.
I'm not sure why people still shy away from giving things, especially parts of the anatomy, their true name to children. Realistically, most nine year olds probably already know a slang term or two for this area of the male anatomy. But Patron offers us a perfect teaching moment on the first page of this wonderful book--give kids the facts because they certainly can handle them. And they certainly need them as well.
As my litmus test, I asked my two boys, ages 11 and 8, what their thoughts were on this controversy. My 8 year old laughed loudly and immediately walked off to create a cartoon about the controversy. My 11 year old, always willing to consider both sides, read the first page of the book. He came back to me, nonplussed about seeing the word scrotum in print, but wondering why adults were not concerned that the narrator of the dog's unfortunate story was so drunk that he could not stand up when the dog was bitten.
[Editors' note: For the best commentary on the scrotum controversy, find someone who has saved the SIBA list serve on the subject.]
I wanted to comment on today's brief article about all the controversy surrounding The Higher Power of Lucky. Ironically enough, I began reading this book on Saturday night, only to wake up Sunday morning (kind of late I'll admit) to have my husband tell me about a front page story in the Sunday Times about a children's book with the word scrotum in it.
I was a bit surprised by the use of the word, since after all, it's not a word you see often in a book for kids. But I do think that the controversy is completely uncalled for. There is nothing at all subversive about this book--rather, reading it is like the slow motion unwrapping of a much-desired gift on Christmas morning. It is that good. To take it off bookshelves or to refuse to lend it would be an incredible shame for children, parents and teachers.
The use of that word has both nothing and everything to do with what the book is about. Lucky, the plucky 10-year-old protagonist, is trying to find her way in the world. She is curious and looks to the small circle of adults in her life to outfit her with what she needs, even if she sometimes gets the information from them through plain old eavesdropping. She is seeking her "higher power"--that intangible force which will help her overcome, or at least survive, some seemingly insurmountable events in her life. But it is also a coming-of-age-story as she begins to feel the stirrings of adolescence and to let go of some of her young child ways.
I'm not sure why people still shy away from giving things, especially parts of the anatomy, their true name to children. Realistically, most nine year olds probably already know a slang term or two for this area of the male anatomy. But Patron offers us a perfect teaching moment on the first page of this wonderful book--give kids the facts because they certainly can handle them. And they certainly need them as well.
As my litmus test, I asked my two boys, ages 11 and 8, what their thoughts were on this controversy. My 8 year old laughed loudly and immediately walked off to create a cartoon about the controversy. My 11 year old, always willing to consider both sides, read the first page of the book. He came back to me, nonplussed about seeing the word scrotum in print, but wondering why adults were not concerned that the narrator of the dog's unfortunate story was so drunk that he could not stand up when the dog was bitten.
[Editors' note: For the best commentary on the scrotum controversy, find someone who has saved the SIBA list serve on the subject.]
