That Skeleton is Naked! Challenges to the Canadian Picturebook

ABSTRACT This article investigates censorship challenges to Canadian picturebooks as documented in interviews with 136 Canadian authors, illustrators, editors, and publishers conducted for the Canadian Children’s Illustrated Books in English Project. Overt challenges to access to books and other material for children in Canadian classrooms and public and school libraries have been reported in surveys and the media; the personal challenges experienced by creators and publishers, including pre-publication pressures, have been ignored. Qualitative content analysis of the interviews yields data on themes, patterns, and categories of the challenges. In identifying the challenges, conflicting ideologies in Canadian society are brought to light.