Blue eye biff chip and kipper series#

She writes, “Biff and her friend Wilf are magically transported to a different country, with an illustration showing what appears to be a Middle Eastern-looking marketplace. Sarah Shaffi, a freelance journalist writing for The Guardian, points to the text and illustrations that have been called out. What is being deemed “Islamophobic” when it comes to The Blue Eye?

Blue eye biff chip and kipper series#

It seems reasonable then that concerned citizens – parents or otherwise – would raise objections about Islamophobic content in a series of books with this impressionable target audience and these objectives. They are “carefully levelled to ensure the gradual development of early reading skills – great for children with English as an additional language”. Apparently, these books support “the Cambridge Primary curriculum framework”.

This book is one of many “Biff, Chip and Kipper Stories.” According to the Oxford University Press website, these stories are part of the Oxford Reading Tree, a series used in “over 100 countries”. The timing seems important, given that we are in the midst of the holy month of Ramzan that is observed by practicing Muslims all over the world. It comes across as an act of responsibility not only towards readers but the wider society, which includes people of different faiths. A publisher being responsive to feedback on potentially harmful content and reviewing its own work with a critical eye seems like good news.