Animal Camouflage Book “Butt or Face” Sparks School Board Debate

The La Grange School Board was once again talking about books.

A concern was raised by board member Calvin Mersiovsky as to the name of one of the books – “Butt or Face? Vol. 3, Super Gross Butts” by Kari Lavelle.

The board member asked, “Why do we need a book in elementary that is about super gross butts?”

Elementary Librarian Amy McCord said, “I didn’t have advance notice, so I wasn’t able to prepare anything to bring to you, but it’s a book in a series. If I remember correctly, the author puts together books of images and pictures, and then the students have to guess and pick if it’s a face or a butt. It’s pictures in nature of caterpillars or sea slugs or things like that.

“It has a little description in there too, an explanation. So the student on one page gets to guess what they think it is. And then on the next page, it gives some information about that particular animal, whether it was a camouflaging technique or whether it was just an image of that animal in particular. The nature books that deal with the gross aspects of nature are popular in the library.

“The elementary students love checking them out and seeing the different things that animals do that may not be the cute and wonderful adorable side of nature but maybe the other side of nature as well so to answer the question that you’re asking is that it’s a way to appeal to students who might be interested in looking at nature, learning more about nature, but in kind of a silly ridiculous gross kind of way.”

The board was presented the list of books being requested for the month of October at Monday night’s meeting. According to board policy, the board has 30 days to request a removal of a book from that list. Any book that has been requested to be removed by two school board members in concert will be placed on hold until the next school board meeting at which time the objections to the book will be discussed.

Thirty days from October 20 will be November 19 which is after the November board meeting, so any discussion about that book will need to take place at the December meeting which will be on December 15.

After the presentation of the October list (which is considered List 4), the board was to consider approval of the new library material content that was presented at the August meeting (List 2).

Since no objections had been made by 30 days after the presentation, the list should have been approved.

Superintendent Andy McHazlett stated during the meeting, “Well the way our policy works, if there’s a question and something wants to be pulled off of here, we make a motion and vote on it or second vote on it and then pull it

off.:

Board member Dr. Karen Roberts said, “I move that the La Grange Board of Trustees approve the purchase of the 25-26 list number 2 new library materials presented August 2025.” No one seconded that motion.

McHazlett stated, “The other recommendation I have is to make the motion to purchase as presented with the removal of that book.”

After much discussion, board member Mary Gunn made a revised motion, “I move I make a motion to approve the list but take out the fourth book that’s listed on the list and not order it. To approve the list without Butt or Face? Volume 3, Super Gross Butts.

Board member Kurt Harbers asked, “I have another question. So, we’re saying volume three. So we have volume two Butt or Face?

McCord answered, “We have the first and the second volume. Yes.”

Harbers continued, “Does volume one, lead into volume two, volume two into three, is there going to be four, five, six, seven, eight?”

McCord stated, “Basically books one and two are kind of stand-alone books just on the same theme and the same topic.

“The first book has students look at a picture and then guess if it’s the face of an animal or the butt. Then they turn the page and they give the answer along with some additional factual information about that. And so the second book is essentially more photographs of different animals or insects in the same format.”

McHazlett stated, “We’re not talking about things that violate the Child Act. It’s the butt or the face of an insect, an animal. I just want to make sure everyone understands what the book is actually about and what it has in it. You can see the front of a caterpillar or the back.

“If we want to go through with seconding this motion to not buy it and then look at volume one and volume two and we can share it with the board, we can do that and then add it to the I mean, just trying to figure out how to maneuver through this because I don’t want to jeopardize the other books.”

Gunn asked, “So volume 3 can always be put back on the list?”

Mersiovsky said, “You know, if I had that book in front of me and somebody asked would you approve this book, I may very well read it and say, ‘Yes, I would.’ But when all we have to do is go by this list. I mean, somebody did a poor job of naming these things. We order them when they’re not even out yet.

“Of course I’m gonna do the cautious thing,” he added. “I was a little surprised when I saw it on the list tonight and now I see it’s volume three. If I were a teacher, there’d be no way I would want to buy that book unless somebody came and showed it to me.”

Anthony Wessels (who was running the meeting in the absence of the president and vice president,) asked “Do we move Butt or Face? Vol. 3 to List 4 that was under discussion previously tonight? It’s currently on List 2, which we are attempting to approve for purchase. Can we move it to List 4, so we have the time to review Volumes 1 and 2 or possibly Volume 3 itself and make a discussion.”

Gunn made that motion and Harbers seconded to approve the list (number 2) minus “Butt or Face? Vol. 3, Super Gross Butts.”

Wessels stated, “We will move that book to the current list four, which will be up for approval at our Dec. 15 board meeting, pending review of volumes one and two.”