SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - There's a new coloring book out to commemorate the 9/11 tragedy and the events that have unfolded since. It has generated anger and concern here in Utah and worldwide.
Utahn, Kathryn Zarnecki is a school teacher. She doesn’t like the idea of the latest Really Big Coloring Book. "I really don't believe in depicting violence especially to children."
We Shall Never Forget 9/11: The Kid's Book of Freedom sells for $6.99 and depicts scenes of the burning Twin Towers, and includes a page that shows Osama bin Laden cowering at gunpoint behind a woman in Muslim clothing. It's that depiction that has enraged American Muslims and that causes concern for Utahn Stephanie Gonzales. "I want my children to grow up knowing that not everybody out there is bad, and I think the picture I saw depicted exactly that."
The author/publisher says this was not meant to be a typical coloring book. "This is a graphic coloring novel. It's not an actual coloring book. It's a novel. It has a lot of actual words in it and a lot of paragraphs. It is designed for children 10,11,12 and up, and it's realism. This not a fantasy. The images and the pages and the drawings you see in the actual book itself are based on real photographs from different places."
Wayne Bell says his coloring book is not a book about the Muslim faith, and doesn't understand the backlash from the Muslim community. “We don't talk about Muslim faith. We don't talk about Islam, we talk about nine hijackers who happened to be Muslim. That is all there is to it. It is truth."
But moms like Stephanie say and Kathryn say the focus of the book is wrong, that it should more on America's patriotism and resolve. Still, other Utahns agree with Bell, and say the truth is worth defending. Scott Austin is a father who says what happened is history and should be learned from. "I think it's a pretty good idea. I think it's something that kids need to learn and understand about. I am perfectly OK with that."
