Hugh Lofting’s Doctor Dolittle was a cherished book from my childhood. However, revisiting it as an educator, I recognized deeply problematic racist elements within its pages. This realization led me to keep the original book at home, unable to recommend it to young students. The discomfort grew when a parent expressed surprise at its inclusion on a reading list for an older grade. The teacher then showed me a revised version, where the overtly racist storyline had been removed. This raised complex questions: is rewriting a book without the original author’s consent, even to remove racism, ethically sound? This question remains unsettling.
Phil Nel’s insightful post, “Can Censoring a Children’s Book Remove Its Prejudices?,” delves into this very issue, examining revisions in Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the Doctor Dolittle series. Nel highlights how these alterations, while attempting to address racism, often remain superficial, failing to tackle deeper ingrained biases within the narratives.
The crucial question remains: how should we approach these books with children today? It’s a difficult decision. Nel thoughtfully explores various approaches and their limitations, concluding with a preference for “reading troubling texts with young people, and talking with them about what they encounter.” I wholeheartedly agree. Engaging in open discussions about problematic content in books allows for critical thinking and a deeper understanding of complex issues.
Further reflections on this topic can be found at educating alice.
