Challenged Children's Books

Pilkey, Dav. (2001). Captain underpants and the wrath of the wicked wedgie woman. New York: The Blue Sky Press.

Summary:
In this fifth epic novel, Dav Pilkey continues the boy-appealing story of George and Harold and the superhero they created, Captain Underpants. George and Harold are up to their normal antics – changing signs, creating comic books, and getting into trouble at school. This story progresses like all previous Captain Underpants books – George and Harold get in trouble, a new villain is created, and Captain Underpants saves the day. Oh! And do not forget the Flip-O-Rama.

Genre: Fantasy
Format: Chapter Book
Suggested Grade Level(s): 3rd – 6th
Awards:
2002, 2004, 2005 Challenged Book
Reasons: anti-family content, being unsuited to age group and violence

Sendak, Maurice. (1970). In the night kitchen. New York: Harper Collins Publishers.

Summary:
In the Night Kitchen is a simple story of a little boy’s dream. He falls from his bed and into the night kitchen where three fat bakers are trying to prepare the morning cakes. The three bakers mistake the boy for the milk needed and baked him into a cake. The boy escapes and creates an airplane out of dough and ends up in a bottle of milk where he gets the milk that is needed to make the morning cakes. This sweet story of the night kitchen has become so controversial because the boy loses his clothes when he falls into the night kitchen and when he returns to bed.

Genre: Fantasy
Format: Picture Book
Suggested Grade Level(s): K – 3rd
Awards:
1971 Caldecott Award Honor Book
2004 Challenged Book
Reasons: nudity, offensive language, and sexually explicit