It's a book, Jackass

From a December, 2010 article on Gloucester Times.com I read about a school in Rockport who decided not to distribute copies of It's a Book by Lane Smith to it's first-graders.

It originally hit my radar because I thought it might have been Rockport, IN. I was excited becasue I know people there and could talk to them about the case directly. You know, get a first-hand account. But alas, it wasn't.

This book has come up in all of my classes since it was released so not wanting to break what is apparently becomming tradition I am bringing it back for this class. The case is this. As a part of a reading program first grade students at Rockport Elementary School are provided with a free book. It was going to be It's a Book until it was read and the Superintendant decided to only distribute it to those whose parents' give their permission and after changing the last word. Don't know how that was done. I can only assume an alternative title was then selected.

Gloucester, MA also decided the book might raise some problems so they distributed permission slip to parents explaining the book and asking whether or not they wanted their children to have a copy.

It's a great book about the way electronic material is changing our perceptions of what a book is. I personally really like it. I also am personally disappointed that the author decided to use the word "jackass" instead of donkey considering his selected audience but I do appreciate the wonderful message of the book. You can argue all you want about the fact that jackass is another name for donkey. But in context of the book, it is a thinly veiled disparaging remark about those who are losing sight of what a "real" book is.'

One of the arguments made was that kids hear worse from the Simpsons and Harry Potter. What a copout argument. Saying that they're going to hear it anyway so it's no big deal isn't, in my opinion, an excuse to take the decision out of parents's hands.

Do you think the schools made a mistake?

Is this book appropriate for first-graders?

My opinion: Permission slips are fine. They are a good way to allow parent's to decide what is best for their children. I don't agree that the book should have been altered in any way. That violates copyright and probably other author's rights.As to whether it's appropriate for first grade, that is definately up to individual parents. In this case I think the schools were within their rights to pull the item until they received permission.