At a time when children need to see their diverse identities more represented in children’s literature, celebrity picture books still absorb a significant chunk of the children’s book market. While there are some authentically wonderful celebrity-authored books, the trend itself indoctrinates kids into the cult of celebrity name recognition and consumption. These books fly off of the shelves with adult purchasers rarely cracking the spine in order to see what is inside. One example of the dangers of this trend can be found in the “My Purple World” series by actress Kristen Bell and creative director and designer Benjamin Hart. Marketed as an innocuous series about “just being you,” this series actually perpetuates an identity-blind worldview, while taking up valuable space in publishing houses, bookstore shelves, homes, and schools.
We hope reading our reviews of the first two books in this series will give insight into the way this kind of book (and these books in particular) cause harm and that these critiques will inspire us all to think more critically as book purchasers and readers. Learning to vet the books we purchase and share with young readers is our responsibility. And passing on the practice of understanding the messages on the pages is something we can (and should!) bring into our homes and classrooms as part of our justice work in the world.
Read these NOT RECOMMENDED reviews:
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