Author Of Children's Book For Deaf Kids Says Publisher Won't Remove Offensive Illustration
Most authors would feel elated to get their hands on the first copy of their newly published book. For Adam Pottle, flipping through the pages of his latest work filled him with dread.
The Saskatoon writer is asking people not to buyThe Most Awesome Character In The World, which launched on Sept. 30, as it contains illustrations of an Asian character who’s been described as a racist stereotype.
Pottle told HuffPost Canada that after he saw the images for the first time, his requests to remove the offensive artwork were denied by the book’s publisher, U.S. company Reycraft Books.
“The last couple of weeks have been enormously dispiriting,” he said. “I was very much looking forward to sharing this story about the power of imagination. Now, I feel like I’ve been robbed... I don’t want people to get the idea that this is something that I support. It makes me really uncomfortable.”
Story celebrating Deaf kids marred by offensive artwork
Pottle’s first children’s book drew on his own experiences as a Deaf person seeking authentic media representation.
“When I tried to find stories about Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing children, they were always tragic and sad,” he said.
Pottle decided his first children’s book would cover just that, as its protagonist, Philomena, is a Deaf girl who feels limited by her hearing aids. After her father gives her a book featuring an unhappy Deaf girl, she comes to a realization: “That’s not my story.” From there, Philomena sets out to pen her tale, featuring a lively cast, including a special friend with superpowers.
The message of this story remained unchanged when Pottle first received an advanced copy of his book before publication a few weeks ago. However, he noticed that one of the characters Philomena befriends appeared to be drawn like an Asian stereotype. In images shared with HuffPost and visible on the agency page belonging to illustrator Ana Sanfelippo, the character in question appeared to be an Asian...
