They were strong and good

[Judith Harrington <HARRINGTON27@DELPHI.COM>]

Recently there was a query about Robert Lawson's 1941 Caldecott
winner, _They Were Strong and Good_.  Apparently there had been a
challenge.

It is dated.  The treatment of blacks and Indians is typical of the
era.  Robert Lawson's illustrations are great, in the style of his
_Ferdinand the Bull_ illustrations.  Rather than remove the book, it
makes a great teaching tool about the social changes and attitudinal
changes over the last 50 years.

For help, the ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom should be your first
recourse.  Never should we assume that there is something wrong with
the book just because someone has challenged it.  Someone will find
something offensive in any book - even the most unlikely one.  This
book is definitely worth keeping and discussing.  It could be the
center of a unit, with Edmonds _Matchlock Gun_ as another typifying
the attitudes of the past, and linked with more recent works of
equal literary and artistic merit, that reflect more current thinking.

-Judy
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Judith Harrington                                (716) 352-3421, ext. 431
Leo Bernabi Elem. School, 69 Lyell Ave., Spencerport, NY 14559
HARRINGTON27@delphi.com
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