The upcoming Freedom to Read Week runs from February 22 to February 28, 2026, marking its 42nd anniversary. Founded in 1984, this initiative helps highlight the importance of intellectual freedom and being able to access books and materials that are free from restrictions. According to their “Freedom to Read Week” webpage, they note that “Canada also has a long-standing tradition of censorship,” signifying how crucial it is to raise awareness and challenge censorship.
To celebrate Freedom to Read Week, I’ll be putting together a short list of banned and challenged books to exemplify what kind of challenges have been raised for books in the past.
Banned Books to Read
In 2006, And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell was challenged by a parent, arguing on religious grounds that this junior picture book wasn’t suited for young children at Calgary Catholic School District, as per Freedom to Read. Eventually, the library pulled the title from its collection.
The book is centred around two male penguins, Roy and Silo, who are given an egg by their zookeeper. The inseparable pair, whom their keeper thinks are in love, takes care of the egg until it hatches to reveal their newborn baby.
Categorized by Freedom to Read as an international challenge, Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur, an Indian-Canadian poet whose poetry earned her a grand social media following, was one of 52 books that were banned from Alpine School District in Utah, the largest school district in the state.
Kaur’s debut book explores multiple themes, such as femininity and love, through short poems that are separated into four chapters.
Challenged Works
Ziggy Piggy and the Three Little Pigs by Frank Asch is a junior picture book that incorporates a fourth piggy sibling named Ziggy, who appears to be considerably less anxious than his brothers about the Big Bad Wolf and his potential nefarious plans.
Taking a look at Freedom to Read’s entry on a challenge to this title at Edmonton Public Library back in 2006, a parent raised concerns about how the book is “inappropriate,” citing a lack of lessons that could be gleaned by the end of the book. Ultimately, the book was retained in the library’s collection.
The Handmaid’s Tale was challenged in 2008 by a parent, as per Freedom to Read, who believed that Margaret Atwood’s book consisted of “‘profane language,’ anti-Christian overtones, ‘violence’ and ‘sexual degradation,’” which the parent argued was a violation of the Toronto school district’s policies on respect and tolerance between students.
Books About Censorship
Banned Together is an anthology of works, from 15 voices, that range from essays to poetry about censorship and book bans. While the book is targeted at young adults, the information, such as the to-do list on page 15 that empowers teenagers to push back against book bans, is a call to action that’s honest and inspiring.
George Orwell’s 1984, a key work, tells the tale of a dystopian society, where the ruling state is actively altering history, including censoring old newspaper stories to twist the narrative to the Party’s favour, all under the ironically named Ministry of Truth. Say no to Big Brother and re/visit this cautionary tale!
For those who are curious about Vaughan Public Libraries’ collection policy, click here! There you will find our guiding principles, which contains a subsection on intellectual freedom that includes hyperlinks to the Canadian Federation of Library Associations and the Ontario Library Association, both of which help guide VPL’s collections development. There are other noteworthy sections such as VPL’s collection development; as a little pro tip, you can use our Suggest a Title form to request books to be added to our collection that you want to read.
If you’re curious to delve into other titles that have been challenged, visit Freedom to Read’s list of challenged works, which each includes a section containing details of each book in addition to the challenges the books have faced in the past.
To end it off, here’s VPL’s own list of books to check out during Freedom to Read Week. Read freely and read proudly!