It’s not a wonderful kind of day.
A beloved “Arthur” children’s book has been banned in Clay County, Florida, after a local school district member claims the 1989 title has “damaged souls,” reported the Guardian.
The lighthearted Marc Brown book in question, “Arthur’s Birthday,” now joins 45 other titles on probation “pending oversight committee review,” all thanks to activist Bruce Friedman.
Rest assured, he just wants to “protect children” from the aardvark in question.
The grown man’s gripe with the page-turner is its brief reference to “spin the bottle.” In his letter to officials, Friedman insists that the kissing game “is not appropriate to discuss” with kids.
“‘Spin the bottle’ not okay for K-5 kids,” he added in all caps.
Acclaimed author Marc Brown is a six-time Emmy winner for his work on the animated “Arthur” series on PBS. Marc BrownIn response to the malarkey, the Florida Freedom to Read Project clapped back on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, in a message targeted at the proposed ban.
“The entire book is about being inclusive of all friends and not only inviting boys or girls (based on your gender) to your birthday party,” the organization wrote.
This isn’t the first time that Friedman has gotten worked up about the contents of school library shelves.
Last year, according to Popular Information, he compiled “a list of over 3,600 titles that [he believes] have concerning content.”
