Tell It Like It Is!

Profane. Immoral. Offensive. These popular words in the censor's vocabulary have been applied to a wide range of works by children's and YA authors, from Shel Silverstein's A Light in the Attic to Judy Blume's Superfudge. Combining brief interview clips with young adult readers; a discussion by a trio of adult women who fondly recall reading Judy Blume as kids; excerpts from a panel discussion featuring Blume, Walter Dean Myers, Rachel Vail, and Jacqueline Woodson; and commentary from Betty Miles and Robert Lipsyte, this production from the National Coalition Against Censorship is a relatively low-budget (but well-meaning) affair. Unfortunately, little thought went into the intended audience aspect of the program: the juvenile bridging segments featuring a young boy snatching questionable works from other children's hands seems clearly aimed at an early elementary audience, while Blume's fans' comments concerning learning about menstruation suggest more of a young adult audience. Still, it's hard to be hard on an anti-censorship video, so consider this an optional purchase for larger collections. Aud: E, I, J, H, P. (R. Pitman)