Todd Parr is one of the most popular children’s book authors in America, and he has written one of the most frequently banned children’s books in the country as well.
In a new interview with Yahoo Entertainment, the 61-year-old American writer and illustrator opened up about how he views it as a positive thing.
“It’s actually good, because it means that we’re talking about things that people don’t want to talk about,” he expressed.
One of the numerous colorful books that he has written is 2003’s The Family Book, which is one of America’s most banned picture books. Parr shared his sentiments about it stating,
“I embrace that. I look at it and think about how ridiculous it is that all this is over one page in the book. I didn’t put it in there thinking, ‘Oh, this is going to get my book banned.'”
“Kids really need to be able to see their families projected in ways that they can relate to. It’s who I am to be as inclusive as possible. I’m proud of that book,” he added.
The openly gay author who struggled with dyslexia as a child explained how his personal experiences made an impact on his decision to incorporate inclusivity in his books, sharing:
“I had a lot of problems growing up. I constantly felt like my family was weird, and I was embarrassed of them. I struggled with that so much, so when I started writing books, I wanted kids to be able to see that not matter what kind of family they had, it’s OK.”
“It wasn’t about, ‘Let’s introduce this sexuality thing into it.’ That’s irrelevant for my age group. You want kids to see their families in a mainstream book and not think, ‘How come I don’t see my family in here?’ It’s so important for kids to identify themselves in what they read: It’s not an opinion, it’s not a discussion — it’s a fact,” he continued.
Moreover, Parr noted his determination to portray inclusivity in his books, expressing:
“I’m not going to run and hide because I showed two moms and two dads in a book and it got banned. It’s helped so many kids see themselves and be stronger, which offsets the noise and the hate and the fear. None of that is a deterrent. My books are making a difference, and at the end of the day I know that I’m doing more good by writing them.”
Source: yahoo.com/entertainment
Sad that a book that includes gay & lesbian parents is one of the most frequently banned books. Also glad to have some gay authors who would actually include gay themes to get a conversation going at least. I remember a cute gay book that’s frequently banned as well called Prince & Knight, I know there’s several others as well like Santa’s Husband, A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo, Daddy, Papa and Me and Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag to name a few.