"You have to change stereotypical images" they told a famous children's illustrator

A revered Swedish illustrator has spoken out after a question asked by his editor about change stereotypical representations of other cultures in your popular children's books.

Jan Lööf, who won the Astrid Lindgren Award in 2011 in the field of Swedish literature aimed at children and young people, said this week in the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter that his publisher had asked him to change the images of two of his books, specifically from Mofar är sjörövare (in Spanish, The grandfather is a pirate) and Ta fast Fabian (in Spanish, the capture of Fabián).

The first title, Mofar är sjörövare, was published in 1966 and is about a boy and his grandfather who set out to steal the treasure of an evil pirate named Omar. On the other hand, the second book shows the image of a man in a tribal costume.

Lööf told the Dagens Nyheter newspaper that he had been given an ultimatum, or he would change the illustrations in the books or they would be taken out of sale to the public.

“I am 76 years old and I cannot be bothered to change. It's not about the money for me, but probably nor I'll make more picture books for children".

The previous comment the author added that the image of the second book of the tribal costume had been obtained following the model of a friend of his.

"I know that he would feel flattered. He was a very handsome man "

Publisher Bonnier Carlse denies the claim that they have canceled the books, saying it is not yet clear whether the books will remain in stock.

In a statement made by the director, he said that the matter was complex and that the publisher had recently argued with Lööf about some images in his books that “could be perceived as stereotypical representations of other cultures".

“Our starting point is that our books will have an inclusive perspective and do not reproduce prejudices. All books are the product of their time ... As an adult, it may not be a problem and one can put the work in its historical context, but the question is whether we can expect the same from our children.. "

While some have said the debate is ridiculous, others have pointed to censorship. The director concluded

“It is important to be able to have this discussion because it is important and the question is difficult. Either stop selling a beloved classic, or the risk that our children's books repeat prejudices for young readers ”.

He also expressed the hope that the publisher and the author would find a solution to the situation.

“For me the problem is more serious than these specific books. It is about how we, as publishers, in a respectful way, manage our cultural heritage and at the same time comply with the current value to give the best interests to the hearts of children ”.

I conclude in this article by asking you a question, or two: the world is full of stereotypes, not only in literature but they surround us everywhere and it does not always have to be bad. That an attempt is made to change the stereotypes in the books shows greater equality but, on the other hand, and taking into account that the books by this author are classics from 1966 (50 years ago), Is it necessary to change the classic tales to eliminate stereotypes? Wouldn't that be eliminating the original tale and, therefore, eliminating a classic? And finally, do you think that stereotypes can hurt readers so much?

Personally I think that a world surrounded by stereotypes is not good but that, if we combine them in a good way with non-stereotypes, there should not be a big problem. On the other hand, it does not seem correct to me to modify a classic because it does not conform to what publishers now want in books. I also believe that we should trust more in the ability of children to learn to place the context of books and in parents when it comes to telling them how much truth there is in them.