Boone County school board keeps acclaimed ‘Endlessly Ever After’ book on library shelves

By Andy Furman
NKyTribune reporter

Endlessly Ever After – a picture book. A choose-your-own-path fairy tale book.

Reviews claim it’s perfect for teachers and librarians.

Apparently, it’s not perfect for Amy Yates and her fourth-grade daughter, who took the book home from Longbranch Elementary School’s library.

Yates petitioned for the removal of the book from the school’s library, but the complaint was rejected.

Yates then appealed to the school Board.

And, in a unanimous vote by the Board Thursday evening at their monthly meeting at Ralph Rush Professional Development Center in Florence, the Board voted against banning the book from the school’s library.

In addressing the Board at the meeting before a wall-to-wall group in attendance, Yates said, “You think pedophilia; a strong word but it’s true.”

The passage in the book that irked Yates is when the story implies, “it approves for a young girl or even a teen (also a minor) to kiss a grown woman. Pedophilia,” she says, “is acceptable.”

She added: “There’s parents out there that don’t have a clue that their children are checking this out and reading it,” Yates said.

The school initially rejected the complaint. A committee found that the kiss was “not over-sexualized in any way” and even follows the story of Sleeping Beauty.

Yates was the lone person in favor of banning the book.

School Principal Stephanie Stambaugh wrote: “It is important to note that, if it is determined that this kiss between ‘Rosie’ and ‘Sleeping Beauty’ is deemed harmful to minors, every book in the library that in any way references or depicts a kiss between characters would likewise need to be removed from circulation. This could amount to hundreds of books being removed from LBES –Longbranch Elementary School library.”

But perhaps it was the voice of a fifth-grader from North Pointe Elementary School, who brought some clarity to the assembled group.

Mandy Wolfe was one of 21 speakers given two minutes to discuss the issue.

“Why would Boone County Schools even consider banning a book by award-winning creators Dan Santat and Laurel Snyder,” she asked. “This book is described as ‘transforming a crowd of classic tales into an ever-changing, fascinating, laugh-out-loud choose-your-own adventures picture book, in which you may find a sleeping maiden, waste away in a sticky licorice cage, discover the gold at the end of a wild goose chase, or maybe – or- just maybe – save yourself – and the day.’”

Wolfe said this fun picture book offers young readers the chance to create their own narratives out if the decisions they make each step of the way, powerfully illustrating how a story is created and how it proceeds from beginning to middle to end.

“It’s both a teaching tool and an exciting adventure in its own right; this book is a great resource for learning storytelling,” she said.

Angie Rider, a New Haven Elementary School librarian offered her views in her two-minute defense of the book: “The complainant suggests that the content of this book will harm children. Harm, in this context means to deliberately inflict physical or mental damage.

“It is highly offensive to me and my colleagues to be accused of deliberately inflicting damage on children.”

She added: “Neither sexual orientation nor pedophilic disorder are caused by reading. The idea that a book could cause a child to become homosexual is based on a flawed understanding of causality. Just as reading books about cooking won’t turn someone into a chef, reading a book about kissing someone of the same sex cannot alter one’s innate sexual orientation or cause a person to become sexually attracted to children.”

Longbranch Elementary School Librarian, Chantel March said, “I ordered this book because it was nominated for the Kentucky Bluegrass Award for grades 3-5. I promised it to those grade levels in the fall and students were instantly engaged. They were intrigued by the idea that they could interact with the story and direct the way it went and determine the way it ended.”

“We also discussed the other ‘Choose your own adventure” books in our library. Those books started circulating and kids were reading.”

March said that Endlessly Ever After is based on fairy tales that we’re all familiar with – fairy tales that have become part of our culture.

“The pages in question,” she said, “are being made into something they are not. The definition of being ‘harmful to minors’ is not met in any way within these pages.’”

Matthew Turner, Boone County School Superintendent closed the meeting with: “I just want to reassure our district parents that we take the selection of books that are included in our school libraries very, very seriously.”

As for Amy Yates, she told the Northern Kentucky Tribune she was very disappointed by the decision. She felt as if the Board made its decision before the meeting started, and she is seeking other avenues to pursue her cause.

Hopefully there is a happily-ever-after ending.