Local libraries will keep children’s book available to patrons

By Marissa Conrad

The Daily Northwestern

A controversial children’s book will remain on the shelves of Evanston libraries, despite objections raised by local parents and teachers about its possibly disturbing illustrations.

Evanston mother Mary Beth Schaye addressed the Evanston Public Library Board of Trustees at its Wednesday night meeting with her complaints about popular author and illustrator Steven Kellogg’s “Pinkerton, Behave!”

Schaye, who wanted the book barred from the shelf because of illustrations of a gun-toting burglar, suggested the compromise of removing a newer copy that has a “misleading” cover.

The original cover of the 1979 book — the first in a popular series about playful Great Dane named Pinkerton — depicted a full-body image of the burglar aiming his gun.

The new cover, which the publishers changed in 2002, shows only the face of the robber and does not show the gun.

“The older cover more accurately represents the content of the book,” Schaye said. “Your report says that only parents can be responsible for supervising their child’s reading. By changing the cover and making it more subtle, you are making the parent’s job much harder.”

Although Schaye presented several other children’s books as an example of how illustrators can depict burglars responsibly — with titles including “Dog Breath” and “Walter the Farting Dog” — the board voted unanimously to keep all copies of “Pinkerton, Behave!” on the library’s shelves.

Board members said that it is important for a library to represent diversity of opinion.

“A good library collection should have something to offend everyone,” said Jan Bojda, the head of Children’s Services at the library.

Bojda was one of three staff members to serve on the Materials Evaluation Committee that reviewed the original objections Schaye and seven other Evanston mothers and teachers raised about the book.

Schaye was the only one of the eight women who complained to attend Wednesday’s meeting.

Paul Gottschalk, the library’s administrative services manager, suggested that the board consider Schaye’s compromise request, but most board members did not see removing the newer copy of “Pinkerton, Behave!” as a viable option.

Bojda said the library’s original copy is showing wear and tear and that a copy with the new cover is the only one available for replacement.

Board members returned to the Evaluation Committee’s original argument that parents should screen books before they sit down for a bedtime story.

“For me to say, ‘Please look at a book’s content before you read it to your child,’ seems so inherent to me,” said Board President John Sagan.

But Schaye said this does not always happen, even in the most caring families.

“People who are better mothers than me are not pre-reading to their kids,” she said.