Controversial book angers Children’s Advocate
Children’s Advocate Diahann Gordon Harrison and parents are showing their disappointment in a cartoon character book called Do You Want To Play With My Balls?
Harrison said that the book’s content is not for children despite the cartoonlike characters. Critics have said that it is like a children’s book but with numerous sexual double meanings.
The writers, the Cifaldi Brothers, describe the book as a children’s book for adults and said sales and readership have increased since it was released on social media.
Harrison says that a ‘children’s book for adults’ is quite absurd.
She told THE WEEKEND STAR that the way the book is presented is quite deceptive.
“It is very craftily done because the images are cartoonlike, and in a way, that would draw children’s attention. Any kind of explanation that the authors are giving that it is geared towards an adult audience is quite disingenuous and really just serves as another device through which our children can be negatively impacted,” she said.
She added: “Parents needs to be vigilant about what their children are exposed to when they are on the Internet, and so it means that there is heavy parental involvement and supervision that need to be taking place.”
Harrison said that there is no law that can prevent the book from being released in Jamaica, so much of the responsibility is left to the parents to teach their children what is uplifting for them and what is not.