Lindsay Gardiner has to deal with politically correct cuts when it comes to writing children's books. The latest one has to deal with dragons and their fire breathing ability. The publisher feared they could be sued under health and safety regulations.
That dragon skill is now cut out of children's books just in case a child were to act out the story.
Gardiner's cute dragon toasting his marshmallows with his breath scene was edited out of her latest book Who Wants A Dragon?.
The book was published by Orchard Books last year. As the Daily Mail reports:
"Ms Gardiner says: "I was told, 'You can't have the dragon breathing fire because it goes against health and safety.' It doesn't really make any sense. Sales and marketing departments are worried something might offend somebody, or that a child might copy something in a book and their parents will sue the publisher."
Ms. Gardiner says that the only places that she has to change her stories for political correctness is in the UK and the United States. Publishers seem to be covering their bases so that they don't get sued.
It's not like the kids don't know that dragons don't hang out at school with you in real life.
As the Daily Mail reports:
"I've had books published in Japan, France, Spain and Holland and they don't ask for the same changes. It seems to be in Britain and the U.S. that there are problems."
What do you think about children's books having to be politically correct?
