Curious about how we choose our library materials? Click HERE.
Curious about how we choose our library materials? Click HERE.
The news:
All around the country, there is talk about banning books in schools and libraries. Librarians are losing their jobs. Right now, students are not able to read books that politicians–without having read the books they are banning, have deemed “pornographic” or books about our history out of FEAR of kids being “indoctrinated” into a way of being/lifestyle/way of thinking.
The book:
This is a book about hedgehogs.
You can check out this book from this library.
By displaying this book, I am not trying to get you to be a hedgehog or to even WANT to be a hedgehog. I just thought someone might be interested in reading about how hedgehogs live and some interesting facts about them. (Did you know that hedgehogs hunt snakes?)
Not interested AT ALL in hedgehogs? Maybe even AFRAID of them? No problem. This book is not for you. Don’t pick it up. Don’t look at the cover. Don’t read it.
That’s YOUR CHOICE.
Now, if we are talking, I might ask why you’re scared of hedgehogs and how reading about them might help you understand them more, but it’s still YOUR CHOICE to pick up the book and read it. I get no money from the hedgehogs of the world for displaying this book. By displaying this book I am neither promoting hedgehogs nor am I disparaging other animals–nocturnal or otherwise.
I’m simply saying, “Hey! We have a book about hedgehogs! If you want to read it, here it is! Enjoy!”
The takeaway:
Reading about something doesn’t make you that thing.
(Otherwise, I’d have lots of superpowers and live in a magical fantasy world)
Learning about things that scare you or that are different from you helps you understand the world around you. It helps you think about how and why you think about things in your world. It helps you think about what it’s like to walk in someone else’s shoes. That can never be bad. And who knows? You might just find yourself thinking about things a little differently with regard to hedgehogs (or anything else!).
Be careful, though, if you’re trying on hedgehog shoes. They’re pretty tiny.