American Library Association | Search ALA | Contact ALA | Give ALA | Join ALA | ALA FAQ | ALA Login

American Libraries



Site Navigation







Left Sidebar Items

Online Features
AL Twitter feed

Follow American Libraries news stories, videos, and blog posts on Twitter.

Punch Is Out--Too Violent

A Punch-and-Judy book has been pulled from the shelves of the public library in Marlborough, England, following a parent's claim that Punch's "sickening violence" is harmful to children. The Wiltshire county council ordered the library's two copies removed pending an investigation into its suitability.

According to the February 4 London Telegraph, the local Police Federation agrees, objecting to portions of the plot in which Punch tricks a police officer into putting his head in a noose and then hangs him. Puppeteers are calling the removal "political correctness gone mad."

A spokesperson for HarperCollins, which owns the rights to the Picture Lions Book series of which the book is a part, said the book had been out of print for years, but library lending sheets show that it remains quite popular.

Posted February 16, 1998.

Right Sidebar

AL Joblist
ALA Store





advertisement