Museum slaps trigger warning on beloved children’s book for 'outdated views'

A Museum in the Midlands has placed trigger warnings on the beloved Janet and John children's series over claims that it contains "outdated views".

The Black Country Living Museum has warned visitors in several of its classic books displayed in its newly constructed replica 1960s public library.

The open-air museum in the West Midlands, which offers visitors an immersive experience of different historical eras, recently broadened its scope to encompass the post-Windrush period.

As part of this expansion, a period-accurate public library was created and filled with reading material from the era, though several volumes now carry notices alerting visitors to potentially problematic content.

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Among the titles flagged is a Janet and John book featuring the simple adventures of two siblings and their pet dog.

Visitors who browse the book encounter a notice which says: "This book may contain negative depictions of people or cultures and outdated views. These depictions were wrong then and are wrong now.

"Rather than remove the book, we want to acknowledge its existence and impact, learn from it, and spark conversations to make for a more inclusive future."

Critics argue that the children's reading series portrays an idealised, homogeneous mid-20th-century society that heavily reinforces traditional stereotypes, including an adventurous young boy and a little girl depicted in domestic roles.

It is also said to lack diversity in its story.

This identical warning has been applied to numerous other works in the collection.

Ian Fleming's James Bond spy novels, which underwent sensitivity reader revisions in 2023 over concerns about racist language, now carry the same notice.

Agatha Christie's Murder at the Gallop and a short story collection by HG Wells have similarly been flagged.

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The Janet and John book, originally published in 1949, contains straightforward passages depicting the children observing aircraft, with characteristically basic dialogue such as "look at the aeroplane, I want to fly in it" and "the aeroplane can fly fast".

Beyond children's literature, the museum has extended its warning system to military memoirs.

First and Second World War veterans' accounts have received similar notices about outdated attitudes, including The Road to En-dor by Elias Henry Jones.

The museum broadened its historical coverage to encompass British life from the 1940s through to the 1960s, a period marked by increased immigration that enabled more diverse displays.

Actors portraying new characters were introduced to reflect these demographic shifts, including Fitzroy Barrett, a 1950s figure who shares his Jamaican background and experiences of racism in Britain with visitors.

Andrew Lovett, the museum's chief executive, explained the rationale behind the expanded timeline: "We are in one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse bits of the country, and yet we would readily have admitted that the story we were telling previously wasn't representative of the modern-day Black Country."

GB News has reached out to the Black Country Living Museum for comment.

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