MY favorite "banned book" is the children's picture book THE RABBITS' WEDDING, written and illustrated by Garth Williams. (He also, notably, illustrated two other of my childhood favorites, STUART LITTLE and CHARLOTTE"S WEB.)
Illustration from The Rabbits'Wedding by Garth Williams
In our library collection at E WILLIAMS
WHY was this book BANNED?
Montgomery Home News, Feb 1959
TIME June 1, 1959
This book about civil rights can be found in out Alabama Room Collection at ALA 027.4761 GRA.
It contains a chapter on "Librarians and the Civil Right Movement, 1955-1965" with a significant portion devoted to Emily Wheelock Reed and the Rabbits' Wedding Controversy.
Link to Los Angeles Times Obituary for Emily Wheelock Reed:
There is even a stage play, called ALABAMA STORY, about the controversy over the book.
Synopsis: Recognizing the 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, Alabama Story tells the story of state librarian Emily Wheelock Reed, who orders a seemingly innocuous children's book called The Rabbits Wedding and ignites a state senator's segregationist ire in 1959 Montgomery, Alabama. A finalist for the 2014 National Playwrights' Conference, Alabama Story is a gentle fact-based drama that unfolds at a pivotal time in American history.
includes a 25 pg except of the playscript.
