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Book about boy in dress causes stir at Michigan school

books in a library
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A parent wants to ban an anti-bullying children's book at a Grand Rapids-area school district because it's about a boy who likes to wear a dress.

Lee Markham contacted Forest Hills Public Schools administrators Wednesday with concerns about the book, "Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress," being read to his child's third-grade class.

He tells WOOD-TV that the book promotes another lifestyle that goes against societal norms.

Superintendent Dan Behm says the book was used in response to students who were asking questions about people who dress differently.

Author Christine Baldacchino tells The Grand Rapids Press that she's surprised by the backlash.

She says the book's lesson is not to judge someone who dresses in an unfamiliar way.

The school district has no plans to pull the book from the shelves.

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