Decision Pending Regarding Controversial Children's Book

[Judi Lynn]

Decision Pending Regarding Controversial Children's Book
Panel Will Make Recommendation Regarding 'Vamos A Cuba'

POSTED: 10:35 am EDT June 5, 2006
UPDATED: 12:38 pm EDT June 5, 2006

MIAMI -- A 17-member panel could make a decision later today about whether a children's book about traveling to Cuba will be removed from Miami-Dade school libraries.

The Spanish-language travel book "Vamos a Cuba" or, "A Visit to Cuba," was pulled from Marjory Stoneman Douglas Elementary School after a parent who emigrated from Cuba said the book doesn't accurately represent life in the country.

"He finds it very offensive, given his experiences living in Cuba, and so he's asked us to reconsider having it on the shelves in one of our elementary schools," said Joe Garcia, spokesman for Miami-Dade County Public Schools.

The book is geared toward second- and third-grade readers, and details the events and institutions in Cuba born under Fidel Castro's regime.

The book contains images of smiling children wearing uniforms of Cuba's communist youth group and a carnival celebrating the Cuban revolution of 1959.
(snip/...)

http://www.local10.com/news/9320517/detail.html

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Posted on Mon, Jun. 05, 2006
Setting up School Board showdown, committee says Cuba book should stay
By MATTHEW I. PINZUR
[email protected]

A controversial children's book about Cuba should stay in school libraries, an advisory committee recommended today, almost certainly setting up a showdown this summer at the Miami-Dade School Board.

The 16-member panel debated for more than seven hours over two sessions, highlighting numerous omissions and a few possible inaccuracies in the book Vamos a Cuba and its English-language counterpart, A Visit To Cuba.

Ultimately, only one of those members -- child psychologist Lydia Usategui -- voted to remove the book, which opponents believe is an unreasonably sunny portrait of life under Fidel Castro. The majority of the panel -- which included educators, administrators and community members -- agreed the book was lacking in many areas, but found it sufficiently accurate and thorough to meet the needs of its kindergarten-through-second-grade audience.

''I don't think this book romanticizes modern Cuba at all,'' said John Doyle, a panel member and the district's director of social science curriculum.
(snip/...)

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/14744073.htm

[Arkansas Granny]

1. If omissions and inaccuracies are enough to get a book banned,

the corporate media should be banned from print, broadcast and the internet.

[Jigarotta]

2. and throw away all our 'history written by the victors'

misleading history books.

ferchrissakes.

[Sabriel]

3. Just A book on Cuba?

The point is to have MANY books for many perspectives, not A book. If they don't like its perspective, I suggest they buy a bunch of ones they do like and donate them to the library. Put yer money where yer mouth is!

[splat@14]

4. Damn right, get that crap out of there. Where's that goat book Bush had?