Letters to the Editor

The early reactions to "Not Recommended," received within two weeks following publication of the February issue, were many — more than any previous article has drawn — and quite ferverntly pro-Horn Book. A number of publishers responded in total agreement with our stand, though quotes from them are not included among the following excerpts from a few of the letters of other readers:

A parent,
"We need standards like yours and, more important, someone willing to stand up and be counted, to point a finger and name names — however distressing. The time had come to note the condition of the emperor's clothes." JOAN BODGER

Authors and artists,
"Bravo for 'Not Recommended.' It was time somebody said it, and you said it so tellingly." AILEEN FISHER

"There have been so few times in the past, and especially in the area of constructive criticism of books for children where one ever might find sound emotion combined with intellect keenly pointing the way. In your article, this you have done, perceptively, intelligently and with emotion driving the reader along to become aware of the right decision." LEONARD WEISGARD

Public librarians,
"Good! It's a brave and reasoned article . . . the frankness needed is also there." BARBARA MOODY

"I can't tell you when I've read anything that pleased me more than the 'Not Recommended' article . . . And the pitiful thing is so many librarians fall for all this [exploitation] — especially the untrained or inadequately trained ones in schools." EULALIE STEINMETZ ROSS, CINCINNATI, OHIO

A teacher of children's literature,
"Thank you for your forthright article . . . When I hear and see fairly intelligent adults get taken in by these products of limited vocabularies and poor illustrations, I too am concerned about the children who are not given an opportunity to hear and read our rich English language. These remakrs, incidentally, by one whose first language was German and whose parents introduced her to the German and English literary traditions by giving her plenty of 'The difficult words' to read and hear." GERTRUDE LINNENBRUEGGE, OHIO UNIVERSITY

A bookseller,
"My first customer who ordered buys good books, and when she saw these, she asked that she be released from the obligation to take them . . . " ELEANOR WADDELL, HOUSTON, TEXAS

Counselor on books,
"your . . . article in the current issue should be used to 'paper the country.'" HELEN FAY

From the April 1963 issue of The Horn Book Magazine

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