Just to play devil's advocate for a moment, does this mean you object to all books that come out for younger kids that are based on teen properties, like Batman and Spiderman? After the second Spiderman movie came out, my youngest daughter chose an "I Can Read" book based (very loosely) on parts of the movie. Are these just as objectionable as the Naruto Chapter books?

Yes, actually, those bother me also. I don't like those early readers based on movies that are rated PG or PG-13. I think if the movie isn't intended for or appropriate for younger viewers, then why should there be books and merchandise aimed at them? I know it's so companies can make money, but it still bothers me. Partly that's because I feel that I, as a childless adult, am being forced to live in a society where everything has to be family-friendly. Some things should just be for teens or just be for adults.

My system shelves Bone up in the YA graphic novels, and it drives me crazy. I have to take 8 year olds up there to get Bone (also Tintin!) and their eyes go wide at all the exciting covers. Hey, what's DeathNote? I want to read THAT! That's why I always go with them, so I can bring them back down and give them Kaput & Zosky.

Many libraries have <i>Bone</i> in their teen sections either because when Jeff Smith first started publishing <i>Bone</i> he wasn't necessarily writing for kids (it's been embraced by kids as time has gone on), or because when the library first started collecting graphic novels <i>everything</i> got put in the teen collection. Or both.

If your library now has a children's graphic novel collection, see if the powers that be would consider moving <i>Bone</i> to that department, or if they'd consider purchasing the Scholastic editions of the series for children's and keeping the black and white Cartoon Books editions in teen. Hey, it can't hurt to ask, right? ^_^

But Naruto is widely read by 6-12 yrs old kids in Japan too.
There are even Naruto events restricted only to kids under 12 yrs of age.
The core audience of Naruto really is little kids in Japan too.
If Japanese kids can read Naruto, I don't see why American kids couldn't.

And Boys Over Flowers ran in a magazine whose primary reader share is jr- high schoolers (with high schoolers closely behind).

Japanese are just more liberal in the contents of animation and comics targeted to youth.

You know Miss Librarian i am twelve and i read Naruto. Heck I played Grand Theft Auto Vice City when i was 8, and i have straight A's teachers and all around adults love me.
Plus have the ratings on movies and games are wrong unless you are some overprotective pacifist who sees that rating and judges everything on it.
My friends played M games when they were 6 & 7 and they skipped two gradeds do to there genius.
Another thing you shouldn't be caring about movies and games when i went online and played a game then all of a sudden it pops a full screen naked lady on the screen.
So you can honestly tell me that those ratings mean anything?

Before you go bragging Nehemaih, you should check your grammar and sentence structure.

Yes, the ratings do mean something. Just because you ignore them, and your parents don't care doesn't invalidate them.

Eva: As a parent, I have to say I do appreciate publishers that do make their popular titles available to younger readers. Just because they can't go see a movie, doesn't mean they aren't going to be inundated with commercials, and all the merchandise that comes with it. I'd rather have a watered down version I can give them rather than fight or worse have them go find the less appropriate version from friends.

OMG. but out lady!!! i do amazing in school, watch rated r movies, play rated m games, and, i m normal! you are judgmental, nosy, and a LOSER for butting in.

Nehemiah and Vinnie: I'm not saying that you aren't both nice, intelligent teens. I do however think that things should have should be intended for a specific audience and that basing that on age is not inappropriate. You wouldn't suggest that a third grader read Stephen King, after all. That's also to protect you. If my library has a complaint about Naruto from the mother of a 7-year-old who picks it up, then it can cause the system to look harder at all of the graphic novels, even those that are for teens in the teen section. I want those books to be there and be available for you, not to have been challenged or removed just because they were being read by those too young for them.

look, I understand your point of view and what your trying to get at, but really, I think that your being too ignorant. kids aren't stupid. they know that naruto or bone is fictional. i know that trying to restrict them will give you a worse outcome. children that are sheltered are usually the ones who get more curious. I'm 12, and I know from my friend that sheltered children are fine in elementary school, but once they get to middle school, they have an extremely hard time making friends because they don't get refrences , and are usually judgemental of less sheltered kids. I have many friends who have been watching R rated movies since they were fine, and they are usually the smartest, kindest, funniest, most creative ones. They are all very mature, because their parents never tried to hide from them all the rotten stuff going on on the world. if they learn how deal with these ideas at early age, when adults, I know they will be able to calmly think of solutions to the world's biggest problems instead of panicking. adults need to realize that, like I repeat, kids aren't stupid, and they will, learn sooner or later, figure out these things for themselves, and wouldn't it be better to learn from books at an early age when kids are more accepting, instead of learning from other kids in a way that could forever ruin their innocent, kind view of the world?

sorry for my typos!

This article really got me thinking. I actually sat in front of the book case that holds my manga and I said “Would I let my future children read any of these?” I eventually picked out a few and put them off to the side. Even though I’m 19, I’m very careful about what I read. It was sad that I had so little suitable for young ages
.
There are plenty of comic written for young children that haven’t been serialized here in America though. I had my uncle bring back a Chao magazine last time he was in Japan. Chao is a magazine for girls ages 7-11. After looking over it again I realized that these would be perfect to have for kids. However, only one of the stories is being sold here in America. So many books are available, but the companies focus on the teenage market. If I had children I would let them read every comic in Chao without worry.

When I was preteen, I would watch Yugioh. One of my friends showed me the manga. The show had been edited to get that age group, but the comics had not. I’m still surprised about what’s originally in Yugioh. I later found that the company that dubbed it, 4kids, does that with all of their shows. If it has to be edited, it shouldn’t be advertised to children.

Naruto is a big problem. Even if it is being edited on TV, the manga isn’t. Parents should be more aware of what they let their kids watch and read. However, they should still be open. There are plenty of titles that are appropriate; you just need to go searching for them.

Keresa--You make some very good points here. As you are closer in age to kids than I am, you definitely see things that I don't and you're right that kids aren't stupid. I don't necessarily want to shelter kids from everything. Children are well aware that bad things happen and I agree that books are excellent ways of learning about bad things and learning how to cope with them or to process them. What I'd like is to see that kids get exposed to media as they reach a maturity level for it. Some kids can handle Naruto at a younger age. They read it or watch it and understand that it's not all about cool fight scenes, that the characters are dealing with serious issues, even in what is (on the surface) "just a comic book" or "just a TV show."

Unfortunately in libraries we can't tailor our collections to each individual patron. We have to have a range in which to place materials. That is why it is helpful to have materials aimed a specific maturity level, whether it be "kids" "teens" or "adults." That is by no means a perfect system, but it does help parents and librarians and, yes, kids, find materials that might be just right for them. Am I saying that kids shouldn't be allowed to check out books from the teen section. No. Readers know their own maturity level. And, if they are kids and teens, their parents should know that level also and help them to find books in that level or just slightly above or below.

No one is ever going to be completely sheltered, not within most of the United States. I, like most people, was both sheltered to some degree and exposed early to mature ideas to some degree as I was growing up. So there are no easy answers. In an ideal world, there would be no ratings and people would only get information as they were ready for it or almost ready for it. But we don't live in that ideal world, so we muddle along as best we can. The answer probably lies somewhere in this discussion, so at the very least, I'm glad that you're willing to debate me on it.

(And I'll ignore your typos if you ignore mine!!)

Kabuki--The issue with a lot of Japanese children's comics is that American publishers often have trouble finding titles that will translate well. They are often filled with cultural references that just won't be understood by many Americans. And the reason why teens are the main manga publishing focus is that they are who buys manga for the most part. I believe that things are starting to change, however. More publishers are publishing titles for adults and for kids and the American manga market will start to open up more, with fewer teen titles, but more for everyone else. At least that's my prediction!

And I agree with you that things shouldn't be edited to make them appropriate for children. My reasons are selfish ones, though. I want to be able to watch as an adult, not to feel like a cartoon has been "sanitized" for my (or my kids') protection. But cartoons are still consider to be for kids by many Americans, so if a cartoon comes out that has mature situations in it, then there is an outcry. "It's not appropriate for kids!" Well, no, it's not. And that's okay. I don't think that everything needs to be appropriate for children.

And I, too, look at my manga collection and wonder what the kids I don't yet have would be able to read!