Opinion

Teaching war in kids’ books

The Issue: Whether the book “The Librarian of Basra,” which touches on war, is appropriate for kids.

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Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott defends having third-graders read books containing pictures of guns aimed at people (“Walcott: Yes, Third-Graders Can Study War,” March 19).

A child imitating this action would be suspended from school. Where is the logic?

Gretchen Lengyel

Manhattan

I have a copy of this book, and my preschooler occasionally requests it be read to him.

He doesn’t find it scary but puzzling. He wants to know why the firetrucks aren’t coming to put out the fires. Sometimes children react to situations differently than we would expect.

As adults, we know how horrible war is, and as we look at the pictures, we mentally fill in everything that is left out. A child might just see a burning building that needs to be visited by a firetruck.

The end reads, “She [the librarian] waits for war to end. She waits, and dreams of peace. She waits and dreams of a new library. But until then, the books are safe — safe with the librarian of Basra.”

War is depicted in this book, but so is the possibility of peace and safety.Gem Stone-Logan

Boulder, Co.