Philip Pullman is opposed to putting age recommendations on books

I read that Philip Pullman and many other children’s book creators have taken a strong stance against publishers putting recommended reading ages on book covers. I depend on that information when I’m selecting titles for our library. Why are so many writers and illustrators against it?

Librarians and parents have long depended on publishers’ age-guidance recommendations. It’s helpful information, as long as it isn’t misused. Pullman and more than 700 children’s book authors and illustrators have signed a statement against this type of guidance, feeling that it stigmatizes young readers. I have no doubt that their radical position grew out of a frustration with the growing number of children’s titles that have reading-level labels. But there’s a huge difference between the two types of labels. Reading level stigmatizes, while age guidance proposes a targeted audience. Anytime labels are used to restrict readers, censorship has occurred.

It’s helpful to remember that children’s book authors and illustrators care deeply about their creations, and most feel that their books have no age limitations. When the film of Pullman’s The Golden Compass was released last year, it attracted scores of censors. Perhaps that’s what sparked his ardent efforts to change the way the public views books, especially those for young readers. (To find out more about Pullman’s crusade, visit www.notoagebanding.org.)

Reviews of children’s books almost always include age guidance, such as for ages 6–8, 9–12, 12 up, or 14 up. It’s important that librarians use these recommendations judicially. After all, there are many eight-year-olds who are ready to read books that are published for 10- and 12-year-olds. One of the roles of a librarian is to offer youngsters a wide range of reading materials—without placing any restrictions on them.

Keep in mind that there are many kids’ books that appeal to adults, too, including J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit; Lois Lowry’s The Giver; C. S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; and Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” trilogy. Novels with that kind of crossover appeal should be included in a library’s adult collection as well as in its children’s collection. That practice makes a statement similar to what Pullman is advocating: books have no age restrictions; they’re written for whoever wants to read them.

I’d love to celebrate Banned Books Week with my elementary school students, but it’s tough to find activities that are geared toward kids that age. Can you suggest some?

It’s difficult for students who haven’t studied our Constitution or grasped the idea of freedom to understand the concept of Banned Books Week. Here are a few suggestions:

• With the youngest children, ask them to recite a few familiar Mother Goose rhymes. Tell them that some people think kids shouldn’t read those rhymes. Then read aloud “Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater,” “There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe,” “Tom, Tom, the Piper’s Son,” and “Humpty Dumpty.” Have your class brainstorm the reasons why some people may object to them. Explain that in our country we have the freedom to read these rhymes or anything else we choose. Point out that what students read is between them and their parents.
• Ask your students to draw a picture of “freedom.” Then have them add the title or a picture of their favorite book to their drawings. Discuss the reasons why you asked them to do that.
• Encourage kids to name a book that they’ve never finished. Why did they stop reading it? Did they find the book boring? Was there something that offended them? During the discussion, let students know that their opinions count. Explain that every reader is different. Some like fantasies, others like realistic stories. Many readers prefer nonfiction, and some crave historical novels. That’s why libraries need to offer many different kinds of books. Talk about the phrase “freedom to read.” Discuss the connection between the freedom to read and the freedom to stop reading a book they simply don’t enjoy.
• Display some of your upper-elementary-school students’ favorite books that have been challenged, such as Charlotte’s Web, Where the Sidewalk Ends, Holes, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, and Bridge to Terabithia. Have your students pretend they’re having a conversation with someone who thinks they shouldn’t read those books. What might they say to that person?