This blog post is by Brandon Lake, Senior Creative Producer, Video & Animation at the ACLU, a Unite Against Book Bans partner.
It’s never too early for kids to learn about their rights and freedoms. With books still being banned and challenged in schools, it’s more important than ever that kids understand their First Amendment right to free speech — and how that impacts what they read — both inside and outside of the classroom.
Know Your Rights University: For Kids and the Adults Who Care for Them
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a proud partner of Unite Against Book Bans, makes learning about these rights fun and accessible with the new animated series, Know Your Rights University (KYR-U). Perfect for classrooms, libraries, and living rooms, this series of 5–7-minute episodes delivers powerful boosts of insight, helping kids and adults stay informed, engaged, and ready to show up for what’s right. Each episode also comes with a downloadable study guide of FAQs, articles from the fictional student newspaper, “Liberty Gazette,” and additional resources to keep the conversation going.
Season 1 tackles major topics including the First Amendment (ep. 1), the impacts of censorship (ep. 2), the three branches of government (ep. 3), and civic activism and protest (ep. 4).
The Impacts of Censorship: James and the Giant Ban
In episode 2, “James and the Giant Ban,” kids can follow students Lisa and Aaron as they learn about book bans and discover why the freedom to read is important for all of us. When they’re done watching, kids can check out Lisa and Aaron’s accompanying column in “Liberty Gazette,” including their top-five best banned or challenged books of all time — from “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” to “James and the Giant Peach.”
After watching “James and the Giant Ban,” teachers and students can use the complementary five-step guide to start their own Banned Book Club:
- Invite friends and family to join in.
- Pick a banned or challenged book to read.
- Find a copy of the book or audiobook.
- Read and discuss the book together.
- Decide what to read next!
KYR-U Helps Kids Understand—And Stand Up For—Their First Amendment Rights
Whether kids are reading at school, browsing their public library, or filling their bookshelf at home, it is their right to be able to explore new ideas without the threat of censorship. As KYR-U’s Lisa and Aaron wrote, “Books may not speak out loud, but their written words are considered protected speech, just the same. Authors have the right to write, and readers have the right to read!”
Check out season 1 of Know Your Rights University and share with friends and family. Or jump right to episode 2 and download the study guide to start talking with kids about censorship and book bans.
