"Clean" books?

I came across a post in a local online forum from a person who wanted to know if there were any book swap groups in the area for "clean" and "Christian" books for children, and has the poster went on to say, "better than what the  library has to offer." My heart sank, thinking of all of the wonderful librarians who are busy curating a wide range of books for children, who want to use their limited funds to create a world of words and pictures that not only engages kids' imaginations but also represents them and their lives. 

I grew up with a few of those "clean" and "Christian" books-- the ones that made sure all little girls were prim and proper, decently dressed in gender-specific clothing and colors, who were not allowed to be altar servers, who had white hankies in their tiny little purses. Those books made sure to showcase white children; any children of color were either infantilized or stereotyped to such a degree that they didn't resemble real kids at all. I had the original Little Black Sambo, handed down to me in all of its racist glory-- including the white swath around the child's mouth and the wide, rolling eyes. 

Too many of those "well-intentioned" texts of my childhood only served to cement expected gender roles for careers and socially-normed behaviors. They were often mildly condescending to other peoples, other countries, and other ethnic groups. Thank goodness for Sesame Street: that was literally my first exposure of any kind to Latina/o culture, Black families, and a wide range of urban experiences. Even then, it took Zoom to present Asian children to the rest of us. Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood was my gentle introduction to living peacefully with all people, and looking for kindness instead of skin color.

Now, my parents were not intentionally buying into the social conditioning that was presented in the children's books--that was pretty much all there was. Yes, there were other forms of normative expectations about gender roles, work, etc., but as a child of the late '60s/'70s for my early formative years, I was able to witness first hand the cultural explosion that brought about so much positive change when it comes to determining values and so on. I'm so glad. 

I understand, and fully support, giving children positive reading material, especially when they are young. But I question the subjective nature of the word "clean"-- clearly, the opposite would be "dirty" and that makes me worry a bit. No one is going to give children smut or porn, or books filled with gratuitous profanity. So what, then, is "dirty," and who is determining this? There isn't a big enough rug to sweep this ugliness under, if it's what I think it is. 

Take a long look at some of the children's literature that existed in much older generations: Grimm's fairy tales are filled with dark images and brutal retribution. The "messages" in much of the literature all centers around the idea that if you stray from the expected path, you will be eaten. Literally. And if you go back and read my childhood favorite, The Secret Garden, you will be shocked at the obvious colonialism and racism at the beginning of the book. I didn't see that when I was little, but I see it now. All of those accepted tropes live somewhere in my memory, and it's taken a lifetime of learning and living to break through some of that. What we feed a child's mind becomes part of their schema, the scaffolding upon which they build their own values and expectations. 

Be careful what you build.

Take care,

C