Blog
Guides and resources for parents vetting children's books.
Children's Books About Race and Diversity: A Data-Backed List
March 9, 20261,260 books in the ParentsPick database have confirmed racial or cultural themes. Here are standout picks from picture books through young adult — with full content breakdowns.
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Children's Books with No Scary Content: 6,402 Confirmed Options
March 9, 202671% of children's books in the ParentsPick database have no confirmed scary content. Here are the best picks for sensitive or anxious readers, from picture books through classic YA.
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Children's Books with No Violence: 5,125 Confirmed Options
March 9, 2026More than half the children's books in the ParentsPick database have no confirmed violence. Here are standout picks across every age group.
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Christian Children's Books: What the Data Shows
March 9, 2026535 books in the ParentsPick database have confirmed Christian themes. Here are standout picks across picture books, middle grade, and classics — with full content breakdowns.
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Clean Children's Books: No Violence, No Scary Content, No Sexual Content, No Profanity
March 9, 20264,318 children's books in the ParentsPick database have no confirmed violence, scary content, sexual content, or profanity. Here are the best picks across every age group.
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Jewish Children's Books: A Data-Backed List
March 9, 202668 books in the ParentsPick database have confirmed Jewish themes. Here are standout picks from picture books through young adult — with full content breakdowns.
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LGBTQ Children's Books: A Complete Data-Backed List
March 9, 20261,354 books in the ParentsPick database have confirmed LGBTQ themes. Here are key titles across every age group — with full content breakdowns so you can decide for your family.
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Muslim Children's Books: A Data-Backed List
March 9, 202645 books in the ParentsPick database have confirmed Islamic themes. Here are key picks from picture books through young adult — with full content breakdowns.
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Why Is All Boys Aren't Blue Banned? A Factual Content Breakdown
March 9, 2026All Boys Aren't Blue has been challenged and removed from school libraries across the US. Here is what the book actually contains.
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Why Is And Tango Makes Three Banned? A Factual Content Breakdown
March 9, 2026And Tango Makes Three has been one of the most challenged picture books for over 15 years. Here is what it actually contains.
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Why Is Captain Underpants Banned? A Factual Content Breakdown
March 9, 2026Captain Underpants appears on the ALA's most challenged list regularly. The reasons are different from most challenged books. Here's what it actually contains.
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Why Is Gender Queer Banned? A Factual Content Breakdown
March 9, 2026Gender Queer has topped the ALA's most challenged list for multiple consecutive years. Here is what the book actually contains.
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Why Is Speak Banned? A Factual Content Breakdown
March 9, 2026Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson has been challenged in school districts across the US. Here is what the book actually contains.
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Why Is The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Banned?
March 9, 2026The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian has been challenged across multiple states. Here is what the book actually contains.
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Why Is The Giver Banned? A Factual Content Breakdown
March 9, 2026The Giver has been challenged in school districts across the US for decades. Here is what the book actually contains.
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Why Is The Perks of Being a Wallflower Banned? A Factual Content Breakdown
March 9, 2026The Perks of Being a Wallflower has been challenged for over two decades. Here is what the book actually contains.
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Banned and Challenged Children's Books: What the Data Actually Shows
March 8, 202622,810 book bans in US schools in two years. Here's what challenged children's books actually contain, and how to look up any title before it reaches your child.
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BookLooks Shut Down. Here's What Parents Are Using Instead.
March 8, 2026BookLooks.org closed in March 2025. Here's what parents who relied on it can use now, including a comparison of the best book-checking tools available.
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Common Sense Media vs ParentsPick: Which Is Better for Books?
March 8, 2026Comparing Common Sense Media and ParentsPick for parents who want to check children's books for themes. See which tool fits your needs best.
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Death in Children's Books: What Parents Should Know
March 8, 2026Death appears throughout children's literature, from fairy tales to modern classics. Here's what parents should know before introducing these books.
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LGBTQ Themes in Children's Books: The Data
March 8, 2026LGBTQ themes appear in 9.0% of children's books -- more than religious or racial themes. Here's what the data shows and how parents can use it.
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Most Challenged Children's Books: A Factual Content Breakdown
March 8, 2026The ALA tracks the most challenged children's and YA books each year. Here is a factual content breakdown of what each one actually contains.
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Racial Themes in Children's Books: What the Data Shows
March 8, 20268.3% of children's books contain confirmed racial or cultural themes. Learn what that means, what the data covers, and how to evaluate books for your family.
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Religious Themes in Children's Books: What the Data Shows
March 8, 2026Only 4.2% of children's books contain religious themes, according to ParentsPick data. See how that compares to other themes and how to find what fits your family.
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Scary Content in Children's Books: What the Data Shows
March 8, 2026Only 7% of children's books meet a high-confidence scary threshold in ParentsPick's database. Here's what that tells us about a surprisingly hard-to-define category.
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Violence in Children's Books: What the Data Shows
March 8, 202623% of children's books contain violence, making it the most common flagged theme. Here's what that means, why it's so prevalent, and how to find books that fit your family.
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What Does It Mean When a Children's Book Is "Challenged" or "Banned"?
March 8, 2026A "challenged" book and a "banned" book are not the same thing. Here is what each term actually means, how the process works, and how to find out what's in any book yourself.
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