Authors Joanna Ho and Caroline Kusin-Pritchard say they left an elementary school in San Ramon after being asked not to discuss book banning.
The incident occurred at Country Club Elementary School, within the San Ramon Valley Unified School District.
The two authors of the book, “The Day The Books Disappeared”, which was published in July showcases the theme around book banning and the freedom to read were on a Bay Area Tour—ironically, the book is about empathy. However, they say the principal requested they avoid discussing book banning.
The pair issued the following statement (or see video):
“We are deeply saddened that we were prevented from meeting with young readers at Country Club Elementary in San Ramon, California during our tour for The Day the Books Disappeared, a picture book we wrote about book banning, illustrated by Dan Santat.
When we arrived, students were waiting for us in the library, but instead of taking us to meet them, the principal pulled us into an office and told us to “only talk about the book.” When pressed, she told us not to speak about book bans or the type of books being banned, specifically books with queer representation. We responded that this would be out of our integrity, and that we would not change our presentation. Despite district approval for our visit, the principal informed us the directive came from above and excused herself to call her district supervisor. Forty minutes later, students were back to their classrooms, and we were not permitted to present.
We hurt for the students and broader school community. When school and district leaders choose to silence diverse voices instead of uplifting them, students are most impacted. Students learn that school is not a safe place for all. They learn that some people have value and others are not worthy of being visible.
We both became authors because, as children, we did not see ourselves represented in books. Over the past few years, it has been heartening to see an increase in inclusive children’s literature and horrifying to witness the corresponding escalation in book bans targeting books by and about the most marginalized. This is why we wrote The Day the Books Disappeared. We wanted to create a safe, accessible way to open conversations around the importance of reading freely.”
Here is a statement issued by CJ Cammack Superintendent
Oct. 29, 2025
Dear Parents/Caregivers, Staff, and Community Members,
I would like to address a situation regarding a recent author visit for some of our TK-3rd grade classes in SRVUSD, which has garnered some media and social media attention. On behalf of the District, I’d like to offer some important context.
Recently, co-authors of the book, The Day the Books Disappeared, visited some SRVUSD elementary schools. Concerns were voiced by site principals that parts of the presentation were not suited to our youngest learners in TK to third grade (4 years old – 9 years old). Specifically, the book’s message of kindness, empathy, and understanding was overshadowed by a presentation focused on book banning that extended beyond the developmental level of our youngest students.
Based on this feedback, district staff reached out to the organization we partner with on author visits to share concerns and request that the presentation be adjusted for a younger audience before the scheduled visit to Country Club. When no response was received, staff respectfully made the same request to the authors when they arrived on campus. The authors declined to modify their presentation to align with our requests and chose to leave without presenting.
SRVUSD values and supports author visits as well as inclusion of diverse books, perspectives and dialogue as meaningful educational opportunities for our students. We support and believe in the strength of our richly diverse community. We remain committed to providing engaging, age-appropriate learning experiences in the classrooms and on our campuses that reflect the best academic and social-emotional interests of our students, aligned with their developmental levels.
Sincerely,
CJ Cammack
Superintendent
No other information was released.
