Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn is a 2021 children's picture book written by Shannon Hale and illustrated by LeUyen Pham. The book is a Cybils Award finalist,[1] as well as a New York Times and 2021 IndieBound[2] bestseller. The book was acquired by Abrams Books in a million-dollar deal after an auction with eight interested publishing houses.[3] Subsequent books in the series include Pretty Perfect Kitty-Corn and Party Hearty Kitty-Corn.

Plot

Kitty, a pink puffball kitten, is inspired by her unicorn poster to create a paper horn for herself.[4][5] Feeling "unicorn-y," Kitty looks in a mirror and sees herself as a magnificent unicorn. Her friends Parakeet and Gecko, however, insist that Kitty cannot possibly be a unicorn. Kitty tries to address their concerns and act more like a unicorn, but they continue to insist that she will never be a unicorn.

When a real unicorn visits, Kitty finally sees how different she is in comparison. Her sad feelings do not last long though, as it is revealed that Kitty's admiration goes both ways because the unicorn has a headband with fluffy pink kitty ears. They are both kitty-corns! "I knew that another kitty-corn like you would see," says the unicorn; "Yes," says Kitty, "I see you."[4]

Controversy

After the publication of Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn, Hale received accusations of being a groomer; Hale's response was that "a message in children’s books to be who you are is a very old concept. I’m not doing anything new here."[6]

Ahead of the 2023–2024 school year, Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn was cited as an example of "sexually explicit" material, justifying reduced access to books in one Texas school district.[7][8] In June 2023, the Katy Independent School District board of trustees froze the purchase of new library books in the district and put incoming books into storage indefinitely until a new book evaluation process could be created.[8] During the school board meeting, one of the new board members claimed to have found books in grade schools that "support sexually alternative lifestyles."[8][9] Later that year when pressed for examples, the board member claimed Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn’s "main character does want to transform into something they are obviously not" and incorrectly claimed that Kitty is referred to with the pronoun "they."[9] In the book, Kitty is actually referred to using feminine pronouns.

References

  1. ↑ "2021 Cybils Finalists". Children's and Young Adult Book Lover's Literary Awards. Archived from the original on 2023-03-28. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  2. ↑ "2021 Indie Bestseller Highlights". American Booksellers Association. 2021. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  3. ↑ Johnston, Rich (March 17, 2020). "Million Dollar Deal for Wonder Woman's Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham's Itty Bitty Kittycorn". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Children's Book Review: Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn". Publishers Weekly. January 7, 2021. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn". Kirkus Reviews. January 26, 2021. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  6. ↑ Benson, Lee (October 30, 2022). "Shannon Hale and friends: Of all things to ban, not books". Deseret News. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  7. ↑ Russell, John (August 30, 2023). "District halts all new library books because of a " sexually suggestive" kids' book about a kitten". LGBTQ Nation. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 Goodman, Claire (June 27, 2023). "Katy ISD halts all library book purchases, directs incoming books to storage pending book reviews". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  9. 1 2 Schaub, Michael (August 31, 2023). "Did 'Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn' Spur Library Pause?". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
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