Australian author Mem Fox’s 1988 picture book Guess What?, illustrated by Vivienne Goodman, has been banned in Duval County, Florida over allegations of “pornography”. Why? Because one illustration depicts the main character, “old witch” Daisy O'Grady, taking a bath.
The picture book, which invites children to guess Daisy’s witchy identity through a series of clues, joins a plethora of titles – mostly with LGBTQIA+ or culturally diverse themes – that have been removed from school libraries in the state.
Fox is one of Australia’s most beloved authors: her first book, Possum Magic, is one of Australia’s bestselling ever children’s books, with sales of over four million (and counting). Her agent told the Guardian, “We have nothing to say on this issue. Duval County is a county of 997,000 people in Florida. It is not important.”
