The Children's Book Banned in 1986 Because of One Scene

There are often some absurd reasons for books to be banned and challenged. While the themes of the overall book come up with the likes of The Handmaid's Tale and Nineteen Eighty-Four, there are some books banned purely because of one scene.

In the case of this 1986 ban, it was a scene that was completely misinterpreted. It brings up the question of whether books should be banned or not.

‘James and the Giant Peach' Was Banned in 1986

Roald Dahl fans are no stranger to finding out that his novels were banned from time to time. When it comes to absurd reasons, James and the Giant Peach takes the cake! A Wisconsin town decided to ban the book in 1986, and it was because of a scene that wasn't even physically possible.

Religious groups in this town decided that a spider licking her lips could be taken in a sexual nature. It didn't matter that spiders don't even have tongues, so it couldn't even be done! It led to a ban.

It wasn't the only ban to happen that year - just the most absurd - with another ban happening in Tennessee. This ws due to families objecting that the children's book be included in classrooms, as it wasn't considered suitable reading material. It had nothing to do with the spider, but everything to do with the rebellion against parents.

‘James and the Giant Peach' Was Rewritten in 2023

It wasn't just a decades-old ban that put James and the Giant Peach on the map. In 2023, Puffin Books, a division of Penguin Random House, chose to rewrite some of Dahl's books. This was done posthumously, and it was against everything that he stood for while he was alive.

The writing was to "make the novels accessible" to everyone, removing certain language. It came with criticism from many, including Queen Camilla, Salman Rushdie, and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Even PEN America was completely against the decision.

Phrases like "his face white with horror" and "lovely pink skin" were changed to remove the use of color. The Sponge was no longer referred to as fat, and "Cloud-Men" was changed to "Cloud-People." Due to the backlash, the original version of Dahl's works was also rereleased, although the revised versions have not been retracted.

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This story was originally published May 13, 2026 at 8:41 AM.