While I think flat out censorship of books is wrong, I can't say I would NEVER forbid my kid to read a book. I would have to look at it first, check out what was in it. I wouldn't mind them reading books geared towards various religious sects, for example, but I would want to check what kind of message was being sent in the book. It may seem nice and wholesome on the outside, but if there is any indication that the book is making out some other religion/race/whatever to be bad, then yes, I would forbid them to read it. It's the same premise as any parent forbidding their child to read Harry Potter because they think wizards and witchcraft are bad, and don't want them to think that it is ok. The difference for me is, I don't want them reading anything that might even subtly indicate that any specific race/religion/whatever is bad. At ages 3 and 6, my kids might question what they read, if it conflicted with what my husband and I teach them, but it would still cause confusion. It would introduce the thought of, "Well, these people say this is bad. Mommy and Daddy say it isn't, but what if they're wrong?" Also, by my giving them permission to read that book, I am tacitly saying that what is in that book is ok.
There is one other reason I would keep my kids from reading, or reading to my kids, some books. It has only happened once, but I would do it again. My kids get books from the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, and for the most part, I've liked the books we've received. There was one book though, that I just didn't like. It was called "Flossy and the Fox." by Patricia McKissack. The message of the story was great. It was about a girl who uses smart thinking to outwit a fox that has been plaguing the area. What I didn't like was the way she talked. She had that slave-era, southern accent dialect. I know that that is how they talked back then, and it's not that I have any hatred because of it. But my three year old is in that age of quickly learning new words, proper grammar, and proper pronunciation, and mimicking what she hears. My six year old still has some trouble with annunciation and grammar. I would rather avoid having them pick up the bad grammar and pronunciation, then have to correct them in public. Also, and this is purely a personal quirk, the word "flossy" was a slang term for a girl's private parts when I was a kid. It just made it really odd and uncomfortable for me when reading the book.
These are purely personal choices when it comes to what my children read, though. No matter what I think of a book, if someone else is ok with their kids reading it, then that is their choice. I would never espouse completely banning a book from say, the school library, just because I don't agree with it.
