Banned Books

Coming up on the Children's Hour, we're going to learn about banned books. In recent years, book bans are becoming more common, but why? Our summer interns, Julia and Sophie, wanted to know more about banning books and how the books get chosen. We hear from indigenous author Laurel Goodluck, whose book, Forever Cousins, about two cousins who will miss each other because they live far apart, was banned in a school district. Plus, Evan from our

kids' crew reviews the book, I Lived on Butterfly Hill. about an era in Chile when books were being banned along with people. Learn with us today on The Children's Hour. The Children's Hour is produced by The Children's Hour Incorporated. We're a New Mexico based non-profit organization working with children to make the best and high quality kids public radio. You can learn a lot more about us at childrenshour.org. It's time for The Children's Hour. Kids Public Radio.

Knock knock. Who's there? Interrupting cow. Interrupting cow who? Interrupting this activity so you can listen to the children's hour. It's time for the children's hour. Kids public radio. When I wake up, yeah you know I wanna read. I wanna read a good book before school.

Even if it's one page Yeah you know I wanna read I wanna read a good book every morning family yeah you know i wanna read i wanna read to my entire family We have In his book, no dream too high, he says your mind is like a parachute if it isn't open. Well, it won't work and you could start by reading lots of books. 500 Books is turtle dance music from It's Gonna Be a Good Day and it really is. You're listening to the Children's Hour. I'm Katie Stone and today on the show we're going to

be learning about something kind of crazy sounding. Band books. And when I say band books I don't mean books that musicians use to play songs like this one. No, I mean books that somebody decided somebody else should not be reading. Our summertime interns were Julia Wolf, who

is a long time Children's Hour Kids Crew member and Sophie Anderson Haney. They worked together to create this program for you on Banned Books. When we talk about banning books, it's kind of a crazy idea banning books, banning songs, because what's offensive or bothersome to one person may not be offensive at all to somebody else. In fact, they might think it's hilarious. Kind of like this song by Hans Meyer. More today on The Children's Hour on banned books.

God bless my my own Stand beside them and guide them As they sit in a heap by the chair Be there God bless my underwear From the washer to the dryer to my backpack to my rear God bless my underwear you Just my underwear Hi, this is Julia. Hi, this is Sophie. And today on The Children's Hour, we're going to be talking about banned books. Hey Sophie, have you ever read The Giving Tree, Captain Underpants, or Harry Potter? Absolutely. Those are some of my favorite books. Well, did you

know that all of those books have been banned at one point or another? Can you explain what that means? That's exactly what we're going to talk about today. A banned book is a book that somebody decides shouldn't be read by somebody else. A book that, for one reason or another, some people believe other people shouldn't be allowed to read. Sometimes a local school board says a certain book can't be in the school library. Maybe because it talks about sexuality

in a way that some people aren't used to. And sometimes a bookstore won't sell a book. Maybe because it talks about science in a way that doesn't fit with the owner's religious beliefs. Sometimes a library director decides not to put a book on the shelves, maybe for fear some parent will complain that it has words or thoughts that they don't want children to see. But

what's wrong with banning books? Most librarians and many people feel that every time a book is banned, something terribly important is lost and the world becomes a much poorer place. Banning books makes it harder for people to access a wide variety of unique thoughts and beliefs. And it makes it more difficult for teachers to teach you how to think for yourself. We've got a lot more about banned books all through the show with Julia and Sophie. Stick

with us. This is the Children's Hour and this is the Bazillions.

Open the cover, discover and uncover One page then another, it's all we need to do Fiction on fiction, there's no restrictions We'll be making predictions Learning something new You can do it too See Take another look Scream and shout it Tell the world about it It's my favorite book I can't seem to get enough of this literary stuff I can't help myself So into it when I get through it and I know just what I'm doing it Put it on the shelf and start something else See Take a look

Scream and shout it Tell the world about it It's my favorite book It's my favorite book I'm taking My favorite book is my favorite Oh, world is big and the world is small, but there's lots of room for the short and tall. Oh, the world is far and the world is wide, but there's many different ways to see the other side.

You travel on a boat You can travel on a plane You can travel in a dance You can travel in a game You can travel on a bus You can travel on a train You can travel in a song You can travel in a name Pete Seeger right here on The Children's Hour. We're doing a show today about banned books. This show was co-written by our interns, Julia and Sophie. Wow, banning books seems very problematic, but what about the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution? It gives us the right to freedom

of speech and the right to read anything. Although the First Amendment gives us the right to freedom of speech, it has some limits. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, Nobody has the right to stand up in a crowded theater and shout fire. But he went on to say that free speech should only be limited if there was a, quote, clear and present danger, unquote. Other judges have

felt that certain words on paper were so clearly dangerous that they should be outlawed. But almost all librarians, teachers, principals, parents, and students support the First Amendment just about all the way. In fact, U.S. Supreme Court Justice William Brennan said, So... That means we have the right to read about anything, even if it disagrees with the government or

the way most people believe. Yep, and the more widely read, the more different kinds of ideas we've learned about, the more we are able to make up our own minds about what we believe. That makes us better citizens, because good citizens know how to look at all sides of an issue and decide what they really believe is right.

There's a hood owl living in my shoe And I don't know what to do So I'll keep reading, I'll keep reading, I'll keep reading my books There's a princess learning how to fly, and I can't imagine why. So I'll keep reading, I'll keep reading, I'll keep reading my books. Each word is made from letters If you put them all together They tell a story I can read People who wrote these books give me another look at all the different possibilities.

There's a chicken riding a giraffe and I don't know if I should laugh. So I'll keep reading, I'll keep reading, I'll keep reading my books. There's a cow that's circling the moon And I don't know if she'll be back soon So I'll keep reading, I'll keep reading, I'll keep reading my books Each word is made from letters If you put them all together They tell a story I can read People who wrote these books give me another look at all the different

possibilities. There are so many stories to read, and each one can plant a seed. So I'll keep reading, I'll keep reading, I'll keep reading my book. There are lots of plots in my head But now it's time for bed Tomorrow I'll keep reading, I'll keep reading Maybe I'll start writing a book keep reading my books is the Folk Club Kids. Right here on the Children's Hour, I'm Katie Stone. We're thinking about reading books and we're thinking about banned books. Those

are books that someone decided someone else shouldn't read. It's a concept called censorship. And right now, the effort to ban books is alive and well throughout the United States, even though In the long run, it's a completely ineffective thing to do. People can still find books online, and there's even a site called Books Unbanned. In the short run, it can be very effective.

Consider a classroom where suddenly all books about a certain topic are banned. If a student is interested in that topic, maybe it's something like evolution, they can't find any information about it in their own school library because that topic has been censored. You can learn a lot more about censorship and the First Amendment, as well as banning books, at ChildrensHour.org. We've got a learning guide posted with this episode. Julia and Sophie, our interns, still

have a lot more to share with us about banning books. And we have a book review from one of the kids in our crew. There's a lot more coming up. Stick with us. This is the Children's

Hour and this is They Might Be Giants from a release called Why. Animals can smell your dreams or so I have read That explains the constant sniffing under your bed Says it right here Mix and paint with milk will make it clear If you count the stripes you can determine their age Or so says the sage that offered this page Who owns a self-consuming timepiece called a chronophage You would be wise, a man it would be inside your head So I have read Now to why this

My skeletons are up in outer space Someday in the distant future so I have read Microscopic astronauts will land on your head There's so much to know Can't put this book down Human and a clown Children's Hour is a production of the Children's Hour Incorporated. We're a New Mexico based nonprofit organization and we're funded by listeners just like you. Learn more at childrenshour.org. The New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs supports the Children's Hour. Celebrate the

diverse cultures of New Mexico at nmculture.org. One Community Auto supports the Children's Hour. Donate your unwanted vehicle and help make kids' public radio. More information at OneCommunityAuto.com slash The Children's Hour. all of the podcasts because they help me learn a lot. I'm Brooklyn Elder from Albuquerque. Find hundreds of educational podcasts at ChildrensHour.org or anywhere you listen to podcasts. Look for the Children's Hour. Keep it

She flipped all the pages. She tried and burn a Faces from every background in between to be singing Join the band! She was five, had science and girl power. Some stories were sad One day her favorite books were gone So her classmates wrote some letters And mother wrote this song Stir up the trouble and take a stand Make some noise and join the band Band Don't take away the stories that teach about each other. Freedom of expression, the right

to receive, they will not be. They will not be. Don't take away the stories that teach about each other Freedom of expression, the right to perceive They will not be, they will not be That's Joni Leeds from a release called Freedom, F-R-E-A-D-O-M with a song called Band. In the background, Pottington Bear. When we talk about banning books, we're talking about rules that limit what can or cannot be

read, written, or spoken. We know from stories like the emperor's new clothes, where the emperor believed that he was wearing the finest new fabric from a new designer who had convinced the emperor that the pretend clothes were gorgeous. Even though there was no fabric, the thread was invisible, imaginary. The emperor was actually walking around totally naked because he believed something that was just not true. The truth is there are so many books expressing many

ideas. Most of us can tell when a book is telling a story and when one is telling us facts that can be proven. Kids know that imaginary play is fun and child psychologists know that it's necessary for kids to have plenty of time to be creative and make up their own stories. Kids are processing their daily lives through this imaginary play. None of us want to be told that what's imaginary is forbidden. After all, how can anyone limit the expansive creativity

that we are all born with? Some would say that our greatest human achievements were only possible because of the power of imagination and the freedom to express it. More with Julia and Sophie on banned books coming up right here on The Children's Hour. This is Erin Nigel Smith. It's in a book. Look This really cooks. Let's make some words. Words get together making sentences you've heard. Sentences together,

they fill up the page to make the books we can read every day. It's in our book. That's right.

There's really cooks Uh huh, it's COO-K I think I'm hooked Yeah, ma, I made your OO-K Okay, so tell me what you see Or should I say what do you S-E-E I think I see a baby bumblebee That's right, I see a bee-ee-ee Flying up to the top of a tree Just on the T-R-E-E Up in the sky you know you feel so free Cause when we read we're F-R-E-E So let us get together, let's make some words Words get together making sentences you Sentences together they fill

up the page To make the books we can read everyday It's in our book That's right I'm B-O-O-K Take a look Alright I'm taking a look This really cooks, I see, oh, oh It's in a book. There's a terrific science fiction book by Ray Bradbury called Fahrenheit 451 because 451 degrees Fahrenheit is the temperature at which paper burns. In this book, set in the future, books are forbidden and the job of firefighters is to go from house to house

to burn any books they find. The hero tries to save some books by hiding them in his house, but he is reported and his house is destroyed. He finds an old professor of his who lives in the railroad yard with a group of old men. Each of these men has memorized a book, determined to keep literature alive in their heads until they can set the books next again. It's no big surprise that this book, which was really about the evils of censorship, was itself censored.

Certain parts were taken out without the author's consent, but when Bradbury found out, there was a big fight and the censored parts were returned. Bradbury even added a bit to the end of the novel which said, I will not go gently onto a shelf, de-gutted, to become a non-book. Today, banning books is the most common form of censorship in the United States, but it

has a long history before that. The earliest recorded book bans were in China in the 200s BC, when their emperor at the time, Shi Huangti, sought out to rewrite and manipulate history by burning all of the books in his kingdom. And throughout the Middle Ages, millions of books, poems, and artworks were burned by various dictators. Most often, these were books that disagreed with the common ideas of the time, books that questioned the dominant religion

or promoted new scientific concepts, for example. And in Nazi Germany in the 1930s and 40s, thousands of books were burned simply because they were written by people whose views didn't fully align with those of the Nazi regime, authors including Albert Einstein, Helen Keller, and Ernest Hemingway. Most of the books that have been banned or challenged in the 21st century contain profanity, sexually explicit or vulgar content, or concepts like witchcraft

that challenge mainstream religions. The organization, PEN America, has a list of banned books in 2026. You can find that at ChildrensHour.org. Look for this episode, Banned Books. And there you can also find a learning guide that goes with this episode. This is... Two of a kind with Billy Jonas right here on the Children's Hour. So Read Read Books. I've got books on the bunk, bed books on the chair, books on the couch, and every

old where. But I want more books. I just can't get enough. I want more books about all kinds of stuff like... Jackie's Troubles, Raymond's Joys, Rabbit's Kangaroos, Girls and Boys, Mountains, Valleys, Winter, Spring, Campfires, Vampires, every old thing. I want to lie down on my bunk bed, lean back in my chair, curl up on the couch, and every old where, and read more books. every

Every voice and sing with me as we say. oh Yeah we're doing this, I'm trying to feel it never Whoa, yes, we're doin' this Unitek is trying to do this Come on, it's treating the bacon, yeah, you better believe as the One Tribe Collective from the Grammy nominated release, All One Tribe with the title track. Before that, Eloise Greenfield with Books came off of Hip Hop Speaks to Children. Two of a Kind and Billy Jonas brought us Read a Book, the converging song. That's from

Two of a Kind's Sing Me Your Story. You're listening to the Children's Hour. Today we're thinking about band books. Are there books that you've read that you've thought to yourself, no one should ever read this book? Well, you might feel that way if a book isn't very good or you don't like it, but should another person decide for someone else what they are allowed to read? Especially if that person is not your child or someone you're in charge of?

Because people read books for a lot of different reasons. Not just because they like to read, but because maybe a story speaks to them about their experience in their life. Coming up, we're going to hear from an author named Laurel Goodluck. She writes about indigenous people, and that's because she herself is indigenous. And she's going to be reading us an excerpt from a book that is such a sweet little story. that has been banned in one school district.

We've got a lot more information posted at childrenshour.org. Look for this episode, Banned Books. But first, this is Casper Baby Pants, right here on The Children's Hour. Bookworm, Bookworm, reads a book a day. Though the sun is out, he won't come out to play. I called him on a Monday, morning not too late. But he was deep into a book and would not take the bait. I called him on a Tuesday afternoon for tea. But he was just beginning to read the history of history.

Bookworm, Bookworm reads a book a day. Though the sun is out, he won't come out to play. I called him on a Wednesday evening just to chat. He was reading Western while wearing a cowboy hat. oh Called him on a Thursday mid-afternoon. But he was going down for a nap reading Good Night Moon. Bookworm, Bookworm reads a book a day. Though the sun is out, he won't come

out to play. I called him on a Friday, he had a good excuse He was laughing too hard to talk from reading Dr. Seuss I called him on a Saturday, at the crack of dawn He put down the phone to finish a book And I'm still holding on Go!

you called him on a Sunday just before midnight But he was reading a mystery in the dark with a little light Bookworm, bookworm reads a book a day Though the sun is out, he won't come out to play Bookworm, bookworm reads a book a day Though the sun is out, he won't come out to play Bookworm is Casper BB Pants right here on The Children's Hour where we're learning about banned books. Lots more coming up. Your listening to The Children's Hour, kids public

radio. We'll be right back. The Children's Hour is making weekly learning guides for every episode thanks to the support of the Albuquerque Community Foundation. You can support this effort too. Go to childrenshour.org and click donate. and find our learning guides under our podcast menu. Support for The Children's Hour provided by New Mexico Arts, a division of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs and by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Support for The Children's Hour provided by the City of Albuquerque Cultural Services Department and the Urban Enhancement Trust Fund. One of a kind, fun imagination Let's take a look when we open up a book Let's Raid, Raid Katie Dwyer on The Children's Hour. We're learning about banning books today on the show with our summer interns, Julia and Sophie. Hey Sophie, have you ever heard about this thing called

Critical Race Theory? No, I haven't. What does that even mean? Well, most of us have heard the term racism, which means making bad assumptions about someone based on the color of their skin. Critical Race Theory is the idea that racism is bigger than that. It is the idea that racism is part of our laws and the history of our country. Okay, that sounds pretty smart. What does

that have to do with banned books though? That's a great question, Sophie. Even though critical race theory is mainly an idea talked about by adults, lots of states in the country are banning it from being taught to kids in schools. Why? Well, because a lot of parents and politicians think the kids are too young to learn about racism. But if one kid experiences racism,

shouldn't the other kids at school be able to learn about racism? That's a great point. There are a lot of children's books that aim to teach kids about racism and how to not judge other people based on the color of their skin. And these are the books that are being banned in different places around the United States. That's really sad. It's not just skin color alone that can get books banned for supposedly teaching critical

race theory. For one of our guests, Laurel Goodluck, an author of multiple books for children about the indigenous experience, her book, Forever Cousins, was banned in Michigan in one school district for simply discussing her culture. Here I'm gonna read. One of my favorite pages in Forever Cousins, Forever Cousins about those two young cousins who love each other like sisters and one moves away and they get to see each other. They're reunited again at

the family reunion, but then they realize they have to say goodbye again. But why I want to read this spread, this page, is one of my favorite pages in the book is because I wrote the words to help slow down the reader. just the way a ceremony slows down, anybody participating in it. And that's what happens to these little cousins. They slow down, they realize that they have to say goodbye again. But it's so important that we have ceremonies that help

us reflect and think. And it's really special that Native people and probably other cultures have this too. On the last day, family has a ceremony. There's the scent of sweet grass and burning sage. There's the beat of the drum in an ancient song. Magoo explains relationships and the new baby gets his Haratsa name. Amanda doesn't want to say goodbye again. Kara takes Amanda's hand and thinks, I don't want her to go. The car is parked once again. The miles

are many between the res in the city. Everyday giggles and secret whispers will soon end. Amanda says, here, you take my doll and you take mine. I'll visit you next time, says Kara. They are forever cousins. So really, they know their great big family will keep them together and they also know that their culture is so strong and that will keep them together even if they're miles apart, they'll still be together.

That's the author Laurel Goodluck. She's reading from her book, Forever Cousins. You're listening to The Children's Hour. There's more coming up about banned books. Stick with us. Someone to turn the page Still. Someone could turn the page The endless quest for love Not made away with it to me. Someone read me stories Someone to turn the page in this quest for love you Evan Dates and I just finished reading a really touching novel that I found at my school library.

This book, I Lived on Butterfly Hill, was written by Marjorie Agosín, illustrated by Lee White, and published by Athenian Books. It was originally written in Spanish and translated by E. M. O'Connor. I Lived on Butterfly Hill follows 11-year-old writer and collector of words, Celeste Marconi. All is well in her beloved city of Valparaíso, Chile, until mysterious ships start appearing in the harbor. Celeste worries that something is happening but is

not sure what. She finds out these are military ships. Their Presidente Alcarón has been assassinated and Chile has been taken over by a military dictatorship. More and more people start disappearing, and even some of her friends from school start to vanish without a trace. Celeste's parents must go into hiding, and she is sent thousands of miles away to Juliet Cove in Maine, where she must live with her tía graciera. But she doesn't know anyone or speak a word of English.

Will she ever return to her beloved chile, and will she ever see her parents again? This poetic book is a perfect read for middle schoolers, so, younger kids, you can have something to look forward to reading when you're older. I Lived on Butterfly Hills written by Marjorie Ecosín, illustrated by Lee White, and published by Athenian Books. This amazing novel was translated from the original Spanish by E.M. O'Connor and won a Pura Belpré award. I hope a lot of you

get a chance to read it. For The Children's Hour, I'm Evan Dates.

So many things that I love to do From swimming in the ocean to going to the zoo When it comes to lunch I love mac and cheese But most of all I love to read Give me a bunch of books and I'll go to my room And travel around the world in an afternoon Not that much that I really need Cause most of all I love to read I say Most of all I love to love to read every single day I love to read, believe me when I say From dinosaurs and dungeons

to stories about fleas I just can't get enough cause I love to read Chewing the morning, love till late at night Lying by the fire, or beside my bedside light Even when I'm walking and chewing pumpkin seeds Oh, anytime at all I love to read Especially something scary, so scary I can't breathe Oh, anytime at all I A, B, C, D, E, F, H, I, J, K, M, N, Q, T, U, V, W, S, uh and say Love to Read is Mr. G right here on the Children's Hour and Evan's book review was produced by

our current summer intern, Fanyal. Patti Larkin brought us the book I'm Not Reading. About that book Evan reviewed, I lived on Butterfly Hill. Banned books come up in that book. The fascist government in that book bans a number of books and the grandmother character hides the books in order to preserve them for her family. You're learning about banned books today on The Children's Hour. We've got a lot more info posted at childrenshour.org. Look

for this episode, Banned Books. We've got time for one more. We're gonna go out with the Shmoonian friends. We'll catch you next time for another edition of The Children's Hour. Maybe on a horse, in a car or a rocket ship You can go anywhere that you choose Anything that you read you can't lose Let's read a book Let's read a book Just read a book Let's read a book

be a pioneer and learn what they did best. We can read all Jessie J is the poker hottest Just to name a few Let's read a Let's oh Just read a book Let's read a book If you want to be wise Just read a book Let's read a book About my favorite spot Let's go to the beach Where it's always nice and hot We can drive around And then we'll and break the castle in the sand Let's read a book Let's read a book Yeah Just read a book Let's read a book Do you want to be wild?

Well let's hop and rock and head out straight past Mars. We're flying so high. The Children's Hour is produced by The Children's Hour, Inc., a New Mexico nonprofit. You can find photos, playlists, learning guides, and activities for every episode at Children'sHour.org. Today's episode was written by me and our summer interns from a few years ago, Julia and Sophie. We had production help on this episode from Sarah Gabrielli, Christina Stella, Fanyal Lentz,

Mackenzie Gronke, And our learning guides are written by Amber Scheele. Find this one at childrenshour.org. Look for banned books. Find our podcast wherever you listen to podcasts or go to our patreon.com slash The Children's Hour or ask your smart speaker to play The Children's Hour podcast. RC music was written by C.K. Barlow. The Children's Hour is distributed by Native Voice One, the Native American radio network. oh Thanks for listening to the Kids Public Radio