Author/illustrator of 'Grandads Pride' chosen as artist for the Summer Reading Challenge

No, sorry, I didn't realise there was homework to do before participating on this thread. I doubt most commenters here have actually read it cover to cover though. Have you got anything else to share about it that hasn't already been mentioned? Are you going to reveal at this point there is in fact a bondage fisting scene?

Have you actually read this book?

I know, I don't understand why people take their kids to Pride either, mine always stayed at my mum's so we could get shit-faced. But some people do take theirs, and if you are going to, it probably is sensible to have a chat in advance about some things they might see, and this book would probably help with that. Sorry if that's an absolutely shocking opinion to you, I can see your pearls shattering from here.

Omfg

Well my DC already has gay parents so it wouldn't have been necessary. But I can see a use for resource that's a child-friendly way to introduce kids to something they might see at Pride, an event many people do take their kids to, whether you think that's wise or not. An appropriate explanation for this age group is going to be something along the lines of “some grown-ups like to play dress up” and leaving it at that, and the book doesn't tread anywhere beyond that. Like everything as a parent, your DC rely on you to put things in context for them, and to teach them about the world. If I was going to let my DC read this book back when he was young enough for it, I would obviously read it with him and explain any parts that he didn't understand or which needed putting in context, which I imagine is what the author intended to happen, since a book isn't a substitute for parenting.

Yeh it doesn’t make this one a good one. Is it what you’d choose for young dc?

Cool. Isn't it nice that there's more than one book in the world.

The book seems regressive wrt to stereotypes. There’s a better children’s book where a girl wonders what it’ll be like to have a play date when her friend has two dads.

She finds out it’s normal stuff like bouncing on the bed and eating veggies.

I don't "want" anything, I didn't write the fricking book, but people on this thread are obviously being ridiculous and absurd about it, not to mention a little bit offensive. Why do you want patently false statements linking homosexuality to paedophilia to go on unchallenged?

lol sure. Why do you want that illustration in there?

There isn't a "bondage part" for christs sake. You make it sound like there's a scene where Grandad ties his boyfriend to the bed and fists him.

I notice you've dodged addressing the actual point of my comment, which was that claims the book supports paedophilia are absurd and based on the most tenuous of overreach by people who seem bound to assume gay = paedophile.

Why include the bondage part at all?

No no no, don't you understand, every medical institution, human rights organisation, education authority, political institution, school, GP surgery, library, law firm, charity, sporting body etc etc in the land is just CAPTURED, CAPTURED, I tell you.

You said "Safeguarding applies to young people and vulnerable adults". Vulnerable adults includes the elderly, disabled, learning disabled, autistic, children.

Let's ignore the elderly for now since not all of them are vulnerable.

But women with learning disabilities - my daughter- are vulnerable. It isn't OK to dismiss people like her as a sort of theoretical footnote whose needs for safety in changing rooms etc is inconvenient.

Safeguarding affects enough women to mean it cannot be ignored, dismissed as irrelevant.

We are only allowed to collect and hold data that is useful and relevant.

Fascinating you're pretending to care about GDPR when you've admitted at least 3 violations of it in this post:

• People have a right to be informed what data you are collecting, so by not asking the question but still recording an answer you are denying them this information
• People have a right to "prefer not to say" even if you think the answer is obvious, you are denying them this option by not actually asking them the question
• People have a right to data being held about them being accurate - you are not actually checking accuracy, you are just recording your best guess
• People have the right to answer these questions themselves, it is not for you to do it on their behalf, even if your answer matches theirs you've still overstepped

And GDPR aside, your employer has asked you to collect certain data including the number of library users who identify as trans (demographic data about library users is useful for planning resources) and you are refusing to do so because you apparently have an ideological opposition to the existence of trans people. You're going to have some explaining to do to both your GDPR officer and your manager if you ever get found out.

These people are bona fide conspiracy theory level deluded.

I don't want to ask a child whether they want to call themselves a boy or a girl, it implies there's choice, which I dont agree with..

It was this’ nod nod, wink wink, look what I’m doing, ha ha’ that was shocking.

Oh for fucks sake no it does not reference MAP. It has a picture of a map in it, as part of a box of Grandad's stuff, many of which seem to be momentos of travel. Including - shock horror - a map of somewhere he had visited.

I remember the original thread a few years ago precisely because of the absolute batshit claim from some that this was somehow a veiled reference to paedophilia, it was just so absurd and would be hilarious if it wasn't so offensive to automatically assume a picture of a map in a book about a gay man is a reference to paedophilia.

In my library there is a question when we register people called gender: the options are male female transgender or prefer not to say.
I have never asked anyone the question as I am assuming the data they are collecting is actually sex and I can see that without having to ask.
We are only allowed to collect and hold data that is useful and relevant.
As to the subject of the thread, it would have been better for someone else to be given the opportunity to illustrate the summer reading challenge.

Why would adults want dc to see that normalised.

I mean not really to you as we agree, just generally

Oh my goodness. So this material is being used to indoctrinate kids into thinking there is something other than male and female. It gets worse. I am horrified that a library would allow itself to be used like this.

You do that. The problem with the book gets worse. References to MAP for one.

So no answer to my question then.

I understand, it probably doesn’t sound too great when you say it out loud.

I can’t face trawling his ‘trans rights’ posts right now but feel free to dig out any apology if he has made one. It would be a small relief.

I think it is the responsibility of parents to read books for under 5s before sharing them.

Sadly, they’d be silly not to these days. I also think that the publishers should have a duty of care to not advertise books for children that have sexual content. I’m amazed and saddened that this has to be pointed out but here we are.

His work should be judged by the same standards as other children's authors and illustrators.

Yes it should be. There is a big question about why his Granddad book clearly wasn’t held to the same standards as other authors. That is a problem.

Let me know when he produces something else like this. Meanwhile perhaps you should look at some of his other work, do you object to his art work for the Reading Challenge?

Or perhaps, as he doesn’t appear to understand the problem, he should just not be given a privileged position that I’m sure lots of safeguarding aware people would love? Why should he get more chances?

Anyway, thanks for providing some highly illuminating insight into how these books and unsuitable materials come to be produced and these disordered men given repeated opportunities they don’t deserve.