St. Martin’s Press has withdrawn Show Me!--a picture book for children about sex--because of a July 2 U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding a New York State law that bans child pornography.
The New York law bars the use of children in sexually explicit films, photographs, and performances. The law also prohibits the sale of such items. Several other states have similar laws.
The book, written by a Swedish child psychologist, has sold almost 150,000 copies since it first appeared in this country in 1975.
Booksellers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Oklahoma have been brought to court for selling the book, but until the Supreme Court’s decision, no court had ruled it illegal to sell it.