Grade K–3Free Expression & Curiosity

This Book is BANNED

Written by Raj Haldar

Illustrated by Julia Patton

This book is BANNED. You are NOT allowed to read it. Absolutely do not turn the page. In this brilliantly meta picture book from #1 New York Times bestselling author Raj Haldar, a very nervous unicorn desperately tries to stop you from reading — because this book contains something truly dangerous: ideas. Funny, subversive, and surprisingly profound, This Book is BANNED uses reverse psychology and laugh-out-loud humor to spark genuine conversations about censorship, curiosity, and why the most important books are often the ones someone doesn't want you to read.

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From the Library Director

This Book is BANNED is a masterpiece of picture-book subversion. Raj Haldar has written a book that is simultaneously one of the funniest things you'll read aloud this year and one of the most important. The premise is perfect: a unicorn narrator desperately trying to stop you from reading, page by page, while the very act of reading proves the book's point. Julia Patton's illustrations are chaotic, warm, and full of personality — the unicorn's escalating panic is absolutely hilarious. But underneath the comedy is something genuinely worth discussing with children: what does it mean to ban a book? Who decides what ideas are too dangerous? Why does forbidding something often make it more appealing? This is a perfect book for Banned Books Week, library story times, and any classroom conversation about intellectual freedom, curiosity, and the power of reading. It's also just genuinely, delightfully funny — the kind of book that makes children shriek with laughter and then quietly think. Highly recommended for K–3 and beyond.

Big Idea

Curiosity is one of the most powerful forces in the world — and the books someone tries to keep from you are often the ones most worth reading.

Discussion Questions

1
The unicorn keeps telling you NOT to read this book. Did that make you want to read it MORE or less? Why do you think telling someone not to do something sometimes makes them want to do it even more?
2
What does it mean to 'ban' a book? Who do you think gets to decide whether a book should be banned? Should anyone have that power? Why or why not?
3
The book says it contains dangerous ideas. Can ideas really be dangerous? What makes an idea dangerous — and to whom? Can the same idea be dangerous to one person and important to another?
4
Have you ever been told not to read something, watch something, or look something up? What did you do? Do you think the person who told you that was trying to protect you, or something else?
5
Why do you think libraries and librarians fight so hard to keep books on shelves? What would be lost if a library only had books that everyone agreed were safe and uncontroversial?
6
The unicorn is very nervous about what will happen if you read this book. What do you think the unicorn is actually afraid of? Is it the ideas themselves, or something else?
7
Can you think of a time in history when books or ideas were banned? What happened? What does that tell us about the relationship between power and information?
8
If you could write a book that someone would try to ban, what would it be about? What idea would you want to put in the world that someone might find uncomfortable or challenging?

Activity: The Banned Book Defense

Students explore the history and meaning of book banning — and practice making the case for why a challenged book deserves to stay on the shelf — through research, persuasive writing, and a mock library board hearing.

1
Before reading, ask students: Has anyone ever been told they couldn't read something? How did that feel? Then ask: Has anyone ever heard of a book being banned? What does that mean? Take a few responses, then introduce the book: today we're going to meet a very nervous unicorn who really, really doesn't want you to read this book — and find out why.
2
Read This Book is BANNED aloud with full dramatic energy — lean into the unicorn's escalating panic, pause for the illustrations, and let students react. After reading, discuss: Did the unicorn's warnings make you want to read more or less? What was the unicorn actually afraid of? What does the book say about why people try to ban books? Introduce the concept of Banned Books Week and share a few real examples of challenged or banned picture books (e.g., And Tango Makes Three, The Lorax, Where the Wild Things Are).
3
Introduce the 'Banned Book Defense' activity. Each student (or pair) chooses a real book that has been challenged or banned — provide a list appropriate for your grade level. Students research: What is this book about? Why was it challenged or banned? Who challenged it, and why? What do supporters of the book say in its defense? Students record their findings on a graphic organizer with four sections: The Book, The Challenge, The Defense, My Opinion.
4
Students write a short persuasive letter (3–5 sentences for K–1; one paragraph for grades 2–3) addressed to a fictional library board, arguing that their chosen book should stay on the shelf. The letter must include: what the book is about, why someone wanted to ban it, and at least one reason why it should remain available to readers. Encourage students to think about who benefits from the book being available — not just whether they personally like it.
5
Host a mock 'Library Board Hearing.' Each student reads their letter aloud to the class. After each letter, the class votes: keep it on the shelf, or remove it? Tally the votes and discuss: Were there any books the class disagreed about? What made some arguments more convincing than others? Close with a class commitment: this week, we'll read a book we've never heard of — because the best books are often the ones we haven't found yet.

Standards Connections

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K-3.6 — Identify the point of view of the narrator or characters and explain how it affects the story
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.K-3.6 — Distinguish their own point of view from that of the author of a text
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.K-3.1 — Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic, state an opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, and provide a concluding statement
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K-3.4 — Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K-3.1 — Participate in collaborative conversations about grade-level topics and texts; build on others' talk and express ideas clearly
SEL — Social Awareness: Understand diverse perspectives; recognize the impact of social norms and power structures on access to information and ideas