If you're looking for a way to discuss book banning with kids, this fun picture book is a solid starting point. The reasons for banning content explored in this book are silly, of course. Elementary aged kids will giggle along as the book bans all sorts of innocuous things, leaving very little to talk about. This allows you to talk about access to information and who gets to decide what's allowed in books in a relaxed and playful manner. While the messaging won't land with very small children, they'll still enjoy the playful illustrations and interactions with the text.

This book is hilarious and strange and it sends the message that if we only read things that we agree with, we will never learn or grow. I am sure young readers will enjoy the comedy of the story and the message will not be lost on them. I would definitely recommend this book (and also recommend not banning any books!). Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to check this one out!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

This story underscores the silliness of removing a book that contains innocuous things to be offended by: from giraffes to hippos to dinosaurs to avocados to beds (because there might be a monster underneath!)

I loved this book, and I think it illustrates how ridiculous some book challenge and bans are. Hopefully this book can help those who feel access to books should be limited to understand how inappropriate and nonsensical many challenges have become.

Banned Books Week is held every September, yet in these past few years, it has become even more important to educate the public about. Celebrating the freedom to read is a cornerstone of a free community. When others dictate what is or isn’t available to read based on biased opinions, it is dangerous. I teach my older elementary school students about the history of banning books and they are continually shocked by how it starts small, but then grows to epic proportions. Student lessons on this even reach our present-day times when book bans and challenges are at the highest levels on record.

As an educator and librarian I am trained on how to select the best books for my school’s library collection. A book that I will definitely be adding and reading with students is the humorous, yet informative picture book, This Book is Banned.

From the start of the story the narrator is speaking directly to the reader, warning them that they will never make it to the end of the book because an arbitrary decision to ban the book’s topics will keep them from reaching its conclusion. Through humor, the writer demonstrates how book bans affect people’s ability to choose for themselves.

The hand-drawn illustrations by the artist, Julia Patton, are detailed and they help the information get through to the reader in a funny way. Readers will want to go back and look at the images again and discuss what they see.


I highly recommend this book for elementary students and the larger community. It sends an important message while entertaining the reader about this topic. Very rarely do picture books do this well. It would benefit the reader to supplement this book with further research into the current situation in which books are being banned, especially books by people whose perspectives are not widely shared.


Thanks to NetGalley for sharing an ARC of this book with me.

The way this book was written and illustrated reminded me so much of one of my favorite children’s books ever, “The Monster at the End of This Book”. It’s such a cleverly written way to show kids the meaning of books being banned and the impact and consequences because of it. You love avocados but you know someone who thinks they’re gross? Avocados are BANNED!! You’re fascinated by all the different dinosaurs from the prehistoric age but you find out there are people who don’t even believe in dinosaurs?! Now dinosaurs are BANNED!! It’s teaching that just because someone doesn’t like or agree with something, or even believe in something, isn’t reason to ban it, especially if it is beneficial to others. I think this is a valuable book to kids and adults alike.

I love the idea behind this book. But in practice, it is redundant and did not sustain the interest of my children (age 7 & 9). I could see this book being used with older kids to introduce the idea of censorship in an interesting way, but it's not a book that I'd want on my shelves. Although the illustrations are very cute.

This was a fun and approachable way to look at banned books. The illustrations and diagrams are engaging. It's accessible for children, and could get a lot of use. I wish there were more back matter about book bans, what to do in your community, etc.

Raj Haldar takes a serious topic like book banning and turns it into a silly, engaging treatise. I've always appreciated how Haldar can make serious or boring subjects approachable and fun. This picture book not only pokes fun at the absurdity of book banning but also serves as a reminder of the importance of free exploration of ideas. It's a light-hearted treatment of a heavy topic, allowing children to see how personal agendas can obscure the world around us. A small and simple yet powerful tool for introducing critical reasoning to young readers.

Raj Haldar will always be a favorite of mine, for the way he is able to take serious or boring topics and turn them into silly, ridiculous, engaging and approachable ones. The concepts of book banning across time can be serious and heavy, but This Book is Banned in a light-hearted treatment helps children see how personal agendas can obscure the world around us. It is a small and simple treatise on critical reasoning.

Beautifully illustrated with just enough silliness to hold most readers' captivated. I do appreciate books on this topic and I found the kid-friendly language met the needs of explaining an otherwise difficult idea.

Very fun book that can be enjoyed by both children and adults! The author knows how to poke fun without going too far. The book is a timely addition to his bibliography that will surely gain a lot of attention.

If you don't like something in a book you should BAN it! Except for the fact that you might be banning something someone else may want to read. Also, what if someone else decides to ban something that you might want to read? This book does an amazing job of showing how quickly things can get out of hand when people decide to try to ban everything from giraffes to avocadoes to robots (that have some cool skating moves). This is a great resource for children (and some select adults) to see how silly it is when we try to censor all material that we don't like.

A silly book about a serious problem, the perfect introduction to this timely topic. This would be a great addition to any library, classroom, or home.

What a clever (and fun) book to help young readers understand book banning! The dynamic illustrations will keep readers engaged and can help facilitate discussions about the freedom to read. I will definitely be purchasing a copy for our library!

I love everything about this book! It is fun, silly, and wonderfully illustrated. I feel like it discusses banned books in a way that children will be able to understand. I cannot wait to put this on display at the library!

This book was definitely not was I expected. I loved the different format/layout; it kept me engaged. We will definitely add it to our library’s children's collection.

I understand the point this book was trying to make, but I don't think it was made very well. I feel like the message ended up a little muddled in the process of trying to simplify it for younger readers.

This book perfectly and hilariously embodies the effects of everyone being offended by everything. The sad part is how relatable this is. The book was really funny and the artwork was well done with the font switching only being mildly confusing

A clever picture book that introduces the concept of banning books. What does it mean when something is banned and who gets to make that decision? It did seem to wander away from the focus so it is more of an adult picture book - kids may just think it is silly. Great illustrations.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the advanced copy.