“Slavery with a smile” - the media controversy about children’s literature on the topic of slavery and the rhetoric of the publishing industry

Abstract

Discussions about the appropriateness of American children’s books on ethnic and racial issues have recently become headlines in American daily newspapers. Journalists and opinion writers are questioning the themes and the perspectives of the authors. While some believe there must be limitations on what is published for young readers, others claim any kind of censorship is a violation of the freedom of speech. The paper will provide examples of media debates concerning recently published books for children. Among others it will discuss the controversy about Ramin Ganeshram’s picture book A Birthday Cake for George Washington published in 2016 and no longer distributed because of its “sanitized” vision of slavery.