Part of the bestselling “The Questioneers” series that includes Ada Twist, Scientist, this volume is the second to focus on Aaron Slater. Unlike the previous volume, Aaron Slater, Illustrator, which was a picture book, this one is an early chapter book that gives us a new adventure—and a parable that applies to to book bans and other attempts at censorship.
We’re reintroduced to Aaron, his two moms, and his three siblings, before heading off to the zoo with the Questioneers—Ada Twist, Rosie Revere, Iggy Peck, and Sofia Valdez. They find Zookeeper Fred worried about the escape of his tiny green snake named Vern.
When Vern drops by surprise onto a boy’s head, the boy is delighted—but his mother is not. Soon, rumors fly about a snake attacking children, and a group of concerned citizens is demanding that the zoo get rid of all its snakes, dangerous or not. “People are pretty scared of things they don’t understand. Especially when their kids are involved,” Aaron’s Mom explains.
The mayor, however, closes the zoo until the City Council decides what to do. Sofia asks, “Why should someone else’s parents decide if I get to visit snakes?” The parallel with book bans should be clear to any adult readers, even as the story offers an analogy to help children understand the problem of censorship.
The Questioneers decide to show the City Council the facts, using their varied talents. The mother whose boy had Vern land on his head is still scared, however.
Sofia’s abuelo then observes two truths: “The zoo should be safe, and it should serve all the people.” Getting rid of the snakes isn’t the answer—that would mean losing the chance to learn from them. But can the city, as he claims, both “keep our kids safe and help them understand the world”?
Aaron realizes that even the facts aren’t enough. Sometimes people decide because of their feelings—and stories are a powerful tool here. He picks up his sketchbook and begins a story, then enlists the other Questioneers to bring the full power of art to bear. Can they help their community get to know snakes and all they have to offer?
The story is both timely (given the current surge of attempts to ban books and drag storytimes) and delightful. There’s plenty of silliness and fun woven in, and the lesson on censorship is not didactic, but the book offers young readers and their adults important language and concepts for discussing the topic.
It makes sense, too, that out of all the Questioneers, Aaron is the protagonist here, being both Black and part of a queer family, two of the communities hardest hit by censorship right now. Additionally, Aaron’s special skills—art and storytelling—hold the key to addressing the problem. Telling our stories has always been a powerful tool in the arsenal of LGBTQ and other civil rights advocates. At the same time, each Questioneer contributes their own special talents and perspectives along the way, which is another good lesson in itself.
One of Aaron’s moms is also Black; the other has light brown skin and long dark hair. His three siblings have a range of skin tones; one reads as White, another Black, and another has light brown skin and dark hair. His brother Jacob is hard of hearing—and the book notes that the whole family takes sign language classes with him. We see Aaron and Jacob communicating in both spoken words and ASL in the first chapter. Additionally, the mayor’s ASL interpreter reads as a gender creative man, with a beard, shirt with a floppy bow, and an earring. Aaron also has dyslexia, as we learned in Aaron Slater, Illustrator, but while that is mentioned in passing here, it is not a focal point of this volume.
A highly recommended read.
