For children's books on LGBTQ, race, Scholastic had a solution. Librarians weren't happy

Scholastic, the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s books, is separating some books with LGBTQ themes and discussions of race in a special book fair collection, which elementary schools can opt into – or out of.

It’s not going over well.

The collection – called “Share Every Story, Celebrate Every Voice” – was originally curated, the company said, to protect teachers and librarians in the dozens of states and districts that have passed laws or policies prohibiting specific types of books from being in schools.

“These laws create an almost impossible dilemma: back away from these titles or risk making teachers, librarians, and volunteers vulnerable to being fired, sued, or prosecuted,” the publisher wrote in a public statement Friday.

"We don’t pretend this solution is perfect – but the other option would be to not offer these books at all – which is not something we’d consider," the statement said.

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But the effort has dismayed some authors and librarians. One middle school librarian in Louisiana told the School Library Journal she is canceling her book fair this year over the controversy. Some bestselling authors urged schools in recent days to look elsewhere for book fairs.

“So @Scholastic has a No Diversity Option and Librarians have to Opt In to get diverse books now,” wrote Jacqueline Woodson, the award-winning author of the novel “Brown Girl Dreaming,” in a social media post Friday. “Other Options for Book Fairs?”

'Easing the way for book banning extremists'

The controversy demonstrates yet another seemingly rote custom in American society becoming a casualty of culture-war politics. For decades, Scholastic's popular book fairs have been a fall staple of many libraries, especially in public elementary schools, where children near the start of every school year eagerly await the arrival of new books.

In a statement Tuesday, the free speech and literary organization PEN America called on Scholastic to reject any role in accommodating “nefarious laws and local pressures,” or risk being an “accessory to government censorship.”

“What we understand was conceived as a practical adaptation to keep book fairs going in a fraught legal and political climate is clearly at risk of being twisted to accomplish censorious ends,” the group said.

A petition circulating online from Red Wine and Blue, a political group of liberal mothers that is something of an anti-Moms for Liberty, says Scholastic has "eased the way for book banning extremists."

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'Diverse' titles in every book fair

Scholastic stressed it provides diverse titles to every book fair. It blamed much of the reproval on misconceptions.

“The biggest misconception is that Scholastic Book Fairs is putting all diverse titles into one optional case,” the company said. “This is not true, in any school, in any location we serve.”

According to a list provided to USA TODAY by Scholastic, some of the roughly 60 titles in the collection include “All Are Welcome,” a children’s book by Alexandra Penfold, which features same-sex and interracial parents. Another is “Justice Ketanji,” by author Denise Lewis Patrick, who charts the path of Ketanji Brown Jackson to becoming the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court.

Another on the Scholastic list is "Alma and How She Got Her Name" by Juana Martinez-Neal. It's a picture book that has won a Caldecott Medal.

"The little girl, Alma, as well as all of her family are rendered in pencil with the color of their skin being the paper itself, to encourage all children to more easily see themselves in them," Martinez-Neal told USA TODAY in her first comments about challenges to her book.

"Until today, I made no comments. I needed to understand the reasoning behind the banning. I have yet to find out the reasons. I tried so hard to make a book for all young readers, I can only ask why?" Martinez-Neal said. "What is it about the story of a little girl’s name and her family that they want to keep from children? More so, who is deciding to exclude this book?"

Book fair hosts in every state have included the new collection in their fairs, Scholastic spokesperson Anne Sparkman said in an email to USA TODAY. When local laws or policies create content restrictions, many fairs make the collection available during a special time when parents can come, too, she said.

The American Library Association released preliminary data in September showing public libraries have seen a record surge in book banning efforts this year. The organization compiled nearly 2,000 challenges to unique books between January 1 and Aug. 31 of this year. That number is up 20% from the same period last year, ALA said.

"Book fairs are a celebration of reading and a moment that students look forward to each year − their faces light up every time they crack open the pages of a new book," said Brandon Wolf, national press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign. "All students − no matter their background, sexual orientation, or gender identity − deserve that joy, to feel safe and welcomed in schools, and to see their lives reflected in the stories they read."

Zachary Schermele is a breaking news and education reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Scholastic siloed children's books on LGBTQ and race, librarians say