Book Comes Home: A Banned Book’s Journey

Sanders and Player explore book banning from the perspective of a dog-eared library volume. With a periwinkle cover, an upturned nose, and a gold award sticker, wide-eyed Book (written “by A. Person”) exudes contentment in opening scenes. But one day, when “her best reader friend” places her in the return bin, a shadowy figure moves Book to a shelf in a darkened space that several sorrowful peers identify as “the Banned Book Closet.” As Book learns more about banning, her pride shrivels: “The darkness of the room matched the sadness Book felt.” Luckily, Book’s beloved patron and others eventually spring the space’s denizens. With thick black digital outlines, figures have a clean crispness that distinctly contrasts with the fuzzy, unformed shadows of the Banned Book Closet—a meaningful visual echo of the work’s themes. Characters are portrayed with various abilities and skin tones. An author’s note concludes. Ages 5–8. (Mar.)