Parents Want Pro-Homosexual Children's Book Taken Off School Shelf
by Fred Jackson and Jenni Parker
March 18, 2004
(AgapePress) - A North Carolina mother and father are fuming over a book their first-grade daughter recently brought home from her school library. The picture book she brought home to read is a children's story about a prince who marries his true love -- another prince.
According to an Associated Press report, the book is called King and King (Tricycle Press, 2002) and tells the story of a character named Prince Bertie who falls for a character named Prince Lee. The book ends with them marrying and sharing a kiss.
Michael Hartsell of Wilmington says he was flabbergasted when his little girl brought the book home from the library at Freeman Elementary School. He says his child is "not old enough to understand something like that," especially when the book is clearly promoting something that falls outside his and his wife's beliefs.
So the Hartsells say they are holding onto the book, at least until they get assurances from the school that it will not be circulated. However, according to AP reports, so far school officials are indicating that they have no problem with the book.
The school librarian says King and King, which is listed by the publisher as intended for readers age six and up, has been on the school's shelves since early last year. And the school principal, who views the matter as an issue of diversity, simply says what is "inappropriate" to one family may be "totally acceptable" to another.
But Mr. and Mrs. Hartsell feel the book should not be considered appropriate for first-graders by anyone. Although reluctant to make a fuss, they say they feel obliged to let other parents know about the book. Mrs. Hartsell says she has shown it to perhaps 100 people, and everyone has expressed surprise.
Some school board members are sympathetic to the Hartsells' point of view. According to StarNewsOnline.com, board member Janice Cavenaugh, who talked to the family about King and King, agrees that the book is age-inappropriate. And fellow board member Maryann Nunnally, while uncomfortable with censorship, says she would prefer to put such controversial books out of children's reach and circulate them only with parental permission.
However, Bo Dean, a leading member of Wilmington's homosexual community, has defended the school's continued circulation of the book, saying it can provide an opportunity for parents and students to talk about differences in modern society.
No doubt that idea figures among the uses that the publishers and promoters of the pro-homosexual children's book had in mind. The authors of King and King have already spawned a sequel, King and King and Family. According to the publisher's blurb, in this story "King & King soon discover that there's no adventure more wonderful than starting a family of their own."
All the schools in the Hartsell's county have a committee for reviewing books after questions have been raised about their appropriateness. However, the Hartsells are required to file a written complaint and return the book for review. The parents say they will be filing their complaint soon.
