ALA renames Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal

Monday, 25 June 2018 Books+Publishing

In the US, a division of the American Library Association (ALA) has voted to remove the name of Laura Ingalls Wilder from a children’s book award, over concerns about how the author portrayed African Americans and Native Americans, reports the Guardian.

The board of the ALA’s Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) made the unanimous decision to change the name of the prize from the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal to the Children’s Literature Legacy Award.

The ALSC said in a statement on its website: ‘This decision was made in consideration of the fact that Wilder’s legacy, as represented by her body of work, includes expressions of stereotypical attitudes inconsistent with ALSC’s core values of inclusiveness, integrity and respect, and responsiveness.’ While Wilder’s work continues to be published and read, the ALSC said her ‘legacy is complex’ and ‘not universally embraced’.

Category: International news Junior