Wisconsin School Board Member Wants to Ban a Muppets Book

A school board member in Marshfield, Wisc. is seeking to ban a 1993 Muppets book from her district’s kindergarten curriculum.

The book, For Every Child, a Better World, illustrates issues of global poverty like homelessness and hunger. Presented as being written “by Kermit the Frog,” “as told to Louise Gikow and Ellen Weiss,” it was written in collaboration with the United Nations.

The book is meant to be read aloud in class to educate children about those who are less fortunate than themselves, but school board member Mary Carney calls it “too graphic” for young children, the Marshfield News Herald reports. “Unfortunately in this world there is a lot of war and strife and poverty,” Carney said. “I understand that. I just don’t know how appropriate that is to be teaching that to 5-year-olds.”

The community will meet on Wednesday to discuss Carney’s objection. School Board Vice President Amber Leifheit said she did not take issue with the book, saying, “I believe it shows compassion for people other than yourself. I think that’s a good thing.”

[Marshfield News Herald]