Higher Power of Scrotum...Oops I mean Lucky

The Newbery Award winner for this year - The Higher Power of Lucky - has come under a lot of criticism lately for containing an "offensive" word. The book was written by librarian, Susan Patron, who not only uses the word once, but several times throughout the first chapter. The word in question is: *snicker-snicker* "scrotum". People - librarians, teachers, and parents alike are outraged that a children's book would contain such a dirty dirty word. They are even going as far as banning the book from libraries. What's wrong with that word? Isn't that the anatomically correct word? Maybe people wouldn't get so mad if the author used a term such as nut-sac or nard-bag. Oh oh, how 'bout jewel sac or perhaps veg basket. I could go on for days.
What is more offensive to me is the fact that the term is being used when describing an incident with my own kind. A dog in the story, Roy, gets bit in the scrotum by a snake. Now that's what I call offensive, why couldn't it have been a cat getting bitten. Everything in books always happens to us dogs. We die all the time, get bit by rabid animals, get lost, and so on. This takes the cake though, getting bit in the doggie danglies? Ouch ouch ouch.
Anyway, the book itself it actually pretty good. The main character, a 10 year old girl, likes to listen through a hole in the wall to the patrons of a local Alcohol's Anonymous meeting. Lucky has a lot of worries and concerns going through her head, such as her guardian leaving her, and she listens to the meetings hopefully to get solace from a "higher power". The characters are quite interesting, especially my favorite, Miles, a five year old boy who likes cookies and a certain picture book. If you truly want to judge this book for yourself, I suggest you look past the first chapter. Oh yeah and for all those who are still in shock about the word in the first chapter, - SPOILER - It rears it's ugly head again towards the end of the book.

In my honest four-legged opinion, this book deserves 4 1/2 biscuits out of 5. (I'm eating a half biscuit in honor of my friend,Roy, and his scrotum).Hey, Ms. Patron, next time write about a cat getting clawed in the "kittie kaboodles" then I'll be a real fan of your work.


Woof! I'm out!