No beauty, no beast for French children: Book sparks censorship row

The French government has been accused of censorship after it cancelled a book order for 800,000 copies of Beauty and the Beast, which were to be given free to children this summer.

According to Education Minister Élisabeth Borne, it is because the new illustrated version of the classic story was judged too grown-up for the 10 and 11 year-olds who would be reading it.

But illustrator Julien Berjeaut – known as Jul – said the ministry's objections were spurious, and that he feared the book was pulled because the characters he portrayed in it were dark-skinned.

"The only reason I can think of [for the cancellation] is the disgust some people felt at seeing princes and princesses who look a bit more like actual schoolchildren of today," he told France's Le Monde newspaper.

Jul believes the cancellation is because the characters in the new books have "darker skin instead of blonde fairy-tale princesses."

He added that it was "as if [Donald] Trump and his team were in charge".

The original Beauty and the Beast was written by French authoress Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont in the 18th century, and tells of a merchant's daughter, Belle, who must live with an ogre in order to save her father's life.

Eventually – as viewers of the Disney film will know - Belle falls in love with the ogre and discovers he is in fact a prince.

Jul – who is known for his affectionally grotesque caricatures – was commissioned to give a modern take on the tale, with the book being the latest in a programme of annual gifts to French pre-adolescents.

In his illustrations (the text is the original), the merchant is a Mediterranean importer of illegal contraband and Belle's siblings are pampered teenagers gorging on social media.

According to a spokesperson at the ministry quoted by Le Figaro, "the illustrations address themes which are unsuitable for children of that age – alcohol, social media, illegal trading and police checks.

"The father is an Algerian who drinks and does dodgy import-export. He's even arrested by police. Without explanation, this was bound to provoke a reaction from parents."

The free book programme, which was launched seven years ago, is meant to encourage children to read at home, without the supervision of teachers or parents.

According to Borne, "Jul has a lot of talent. He's good at irony, at not taking things at face value. But without accompaniment, [the book] is not adapted to the age-group."

The ministry said there had been several meetings with Jul at which officials had raised concerns about the progress of the work, but he had failed to take account of their objections.

Oddly, in the last proofs of the book before it was withdrawn, the minister had actually added a preface, praising Jul's "malicious touch and razor-sharp eye."

The book will still be published, but not at the ministry's expense. French children this year will instead receive a version of Homer's Odyssey.