- Published in 2013 in the magazine J'aime Lire, A little sister fallen from the sky tells of the arrival of a young girl in her adopted family.
- Two passages have aroused indignation on social networks, accused of conveying racist stereotypes. The story has since been partially changed.
- Bayard publishers state that “racism is the opposite of [their] values. Bayard Editions publishes books for all children, and we promise not to convey stereotypes in our publications. "
A wave of indignation. Since Monday, two screenshots of a book for children have been circulating on Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat. A little sister fallen from the sky tells of the arrival of an adopted girl in a family and discusses the process of adoption: the expectation, the first photo of the child, the arrival in the family and the relationship with brothers and sisters, biological children of the couple.
In the first passage highlighted by Internet users, the brother, white, offers a soft toy in the shape of a monkey to the little girl, who is black. "I handed her the little black monkey, telling myself that we had chosen well because it resembled her a little, finally," explains the young boy, who is the narrator of the story.
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When I came across this book edited by @bayardeditionsj, I said to myself lots of things! I asked myself a lot of questions. . . Was the author "Jo Hoestlandt" aware of what was written for children? . I don't think he wanted to be racist, but we should be careful ..... . This kind of book written for small children, teaches them from a young age the first clichés, that to be black is to resemble a "monkey" ..The education of our children begins with the stories that we tell them before to go to bed, obviously with this kind of book, their sleep will not be easy. . . This book is sold in all bookshops in France as well as major brands like @amazon @fnac officiel. . . #book #children #black #black #racism #ordinary racism #butnoncestpasraciste
A post shared by Mais Non C'est Pas Raciste (@maisnoncestpasraciste) on Feb 16, 2020 at 10:09 am PST
A second passage, during which the young boy discovers a photo of his little sister, has also been singled out by Internet users. Speaking of the girl's hair, the boy comments: "An Indian would undoubtedly have called her Crow's wing".
This story was published in 2013 in an issue of J'aime J'aime magazine. Bayard editions then published the story in book form in 2016, but in a modified version. The passage around the plush has been removed, as 20 Minutes was able to verify.
The publishing house apologizes
Contacted by 20 Minutes , Bayard editions specify that this “extract which is currently circulating on social networks has been removed from the book for several years. This version is therefore no longer sold today. "
The publishing house declares to be "aware that this passage is shocking and hurtful. We sincerely apologize to everyone. Racism is the opposite of our values. Bayard Editions publishes books for all children, and we promise not to convey stereotypes in our publications. We reiterate our apologies to everyone we have injured. "
The passage concerning the hair of the little girl and the Indian was still available in the digital version consulted by 20 Minutes this Wednesday. The publishing house did not react to this.
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