NCAC has joined with the American Library Association Office of Intellectual Freedom and West Virginia Library Association to urge library board members in Upshur County, West Virginia, to uphold their library materials selection policies and the First Amendment by returning Prince & Knight to the children’s section of their library. The book was removed from the children’s section at the request of a local pastor.
Prince & Knight, published by Little Bee Books in partnership with GLAAD, is a picture book that follows a prince in search of his perfect mate who finds it in a brave knight. The story is written by Daniel Haack and illustrated by Stevie Lewis. Booklist calls it “a colorful and entertaining tale for parents and children alike.”
In a statement to GLAAD, author Daniel Haack said, “Prince & Knight is meant to be a fun little adventure story that also just happens to better reflect the reality of millions of families not seen in other children’s stories. If the protesters are worried that reading this book will turn someone gay, I can easily refer them to all the gay adults who grew up only reading about straight romances.”
The letter to Upshur County’s library board states,
Public libraries are shared community institutions intended to serve the information needs of everyone who resides in the community. In particular, the public library has a responsibility to represent a broad range of materials in its collection and to meet the needs of everyone in the community it serves – not just the most vocal, the most powerful, or even the majority. Individual library users have the right to voice their concerns about a library book and select different materials for themselves and their own families, but those objecting to particular books should not be given the power to restrict other users’ right to access those books.
Officials are expected to hold a formal review on November 20, 2019.
The full letter can be read below. Click here for a full screen view:
