Reading & Literacy

The Top 7 Most Banned Picture Books Last School Year

By Eesha Pendharkar — February 22, 2023 3 min read
Photo of a school library.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Among the thousands of titles removed from school and library shelves last school year were more than 300 picture books meant for young readers, according to a nonprofit organization that tracks book bans.

Picture books are meant to help familiarize elementary students with reading. They have sparse text and focus on illustrations or pictures. Hundreds of picture book titles have been caught up in book bans and challenges across the country.

Most of these frequently banned picture books contain LGBTQ characters or themes. Some are fiction, and others are about real-life LGBTQ leaders. They’re being challenged in the same districts where other kinds of books are being removed from shelves.

Here are the top seven most-banned books from the 2021-22 school year, according to PEN America, the free-speech advocacy organization that documents book bans nationwide. All of these books have been banned three or more times, and many continue to be challenged in districts across the country:

Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag

This book by author Rob Sanders and illustrator Steve Salerno is about the Pride Flag, from its beginnings in 1978 when social activist Harvey Milk asked designer Gilbert Baker to design an LGBTQ pride symbol, and how it has become a global symbol of pride since. It was banned five times during the 2021-22 school year in five districts in five different states: Florida, Idaho, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin.

I Am Jazz

This illustrated book by Jessica Herthel, Jazz Jennings, and Shelagh McNicholas tells the story of a transgender child, based on Jennings’ experience of being a transgender woman, knowing her identity since she was 2 years old, and coming out to her family. The book was banned five times in the last school year, four times in Florida districts, and once in Georgia.

And Tango Makes Three

This award-winning picture book by Peter Parnell, Justin Richardson, and Henry Cole is a true story of two male penguins named Roy and Silo in New York City’s Central Park who took in a baby penguin with the help of a zookeeper. The book was challenged five times last year, including four districts in Florida and one in Texas. The book continues to be banned in districts across Florida this year, for containing references to LGBTQ characters and allegedly violating the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” law.

In Our Mothers’ House

This illustrated book by Patricia Polacco is another true story of a family with two moms and their kids, who aren’t accepted by all families, but teach their children that being different doesn’t mean wrong. It was removed from school and classroom libraries four times in the last school year, including in two Florida districts and two in Texas, based on administrators’ challenges to the book.

The Baby Tree

This picture book by award-winning artist Sophie Blackall answers the question, “Where do babies come from?,” through the lens of a curious boy who asks that question of everyone he meets until his parents give him the answer. The book was banned in three districts last year, twice in Texas and once in Wisconsin.

Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation

Seven years before Brown v. Board of Education, the Mendez family fought to end segregation in California schools. This award-winning picture book by Duncan Tonatiuh tells the family’s story through their daughter, Sylvia Mendez, who was turned away from her neighborhood school and told to join a Mexican school instead. The book was banned three times, once in a district in Pennsylvania and in two Texas districts.

Everywhere Babies

This illustrated book by Susan Meyers and Marla Frazee contains rhyming text describing babies and their daily lives and different kinds of babies and families, including some references to families with same sex parents. It was banned three times during the 2021-22 school year. All three districts were in Florida.

Related Tags:

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Teaching Webinar
Teacher Perspectives: What is the Future of Virtual Education?
Hear from practicing educators on how virtual and hybrid options offer more flexibility and best practices for administrative support.
Content provided by Class
Reading & Literacy Webinar How Background Knowledge Fits Into the ‘Science of Reading’ 
Join our webinar to learn research-backed strategies for enhancing reading comprehension and building cultural responsiveness in the classroom.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Reading & Literacy Why Some Teachers' Unions Oppose 'Science of Reading' Legislation
Several state unions say the mandates could limit teachers’ professional autonomy in the classroom.
11 min read
Addison Fleshman reads "Green Eggs and Ham" as students celebrate Dr. Seuss Week in Teresa Francis' kindergarten class Monday, Feb. 27, 2017, at Westview Elementary School in Jonesboro, Ind.
Addison Fleshman reads "Green Eggs and Ham" as students celebrate Dr. Seuss Week in Teresa Francis' kindergarten class on Feb. 27, 2017, at Westview Elementary School in Jonesboro, Ind.
Jeff Morehead/The Chronicle-Tribune via AP
Reading & Literacy Q&A A Reading Teacher Makes a Case for Early Dyslexia Screening
As states debate whether to mandate dyslexia screening in schools, a California teacher explains how the process works.
4 min read
Doug Rich
California reading interventionist Doug Rich persuaded his own school to begin screening students early for signs of dyslexia—Photo courtesy of Doug Rich
Reading & Literacy Opinion How to Make the Science of Reading Work for Teachers
One state took a different path with good initial results, writes a state chief academic officer.
Lisa Coons
5 min read
Searching knowledge concept. Men and women stand next to book and find necessary information. Independent training and education.
Rudzhan Nagiev/iStock
Reading & Literacy Most States Screen All Kids for Dyslexia. Why Not California?
The state teachers' union has historically been among those opposing a bill to screen students for signs of the disorder.
5 min read
Dyslexia word formed with wooden blocks.
iStock/Getty Images