The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster

An Otherwise Lovely Book

A deliciously clever 1970's literary classic that has almost no women; the women that do appear are weird sexist tropes

Oh man, do I love this book. I have loved it since I first read it in the 1970s. And oh man, is it problematic. 

The Phantom Tollbooth is a classic from my childhood, about a boy who travels to a magical land constructed of math, wordplay, puns, philosophy, and just delicious absurdities. For kids/parents/folks who love clever literary constructions for the sheer joy of it, this is your book. It also has great messages about amusing oneself and finding ways to enjoy what one has, instead of always looking for more. 

The big problem with this book is that it is blatantly sexist in two ways: 

1. Sexism by omission: There are hundreds of male characters, and only three women. 
2. Sexism in terms of the limited roles of women:
1. All three women are in prison. Literally.
2. The women don't participate in any of the many adventures. Two are waiting to be rescued; one just sits around. 
3. All three women wear dresses. No one else in the book wears dresses. Are women in this world allowed to wear pants?
4. Two of the three women are princesses, because really, what other jobs are there for women?  
5. The two princesses, Rhyme and Reason, serve as the ostensible reason for our hero's quest. They are only there as his motivation, and have really no other purpose or motivations of their own.  

If you choose to share this otherwise lovely book with kids, here are some inclusive discussion tips:

- Just point out the sexism. Ask, "Who gets to have the adventures in this book? Who is locked in prison? Who wears pants, and who wears dresses? Why do you think that is? What are some books where girls and women have adventures and wear pants? What are some books where boys wear dresses and are imprisoned? Why do you think there are more of some kinds than other kinds? Is that fair?"

- Name it. "This book was written by someone who forgot that women can exist in the adventurous parts of the book, too, and that any gender of person can wear any kind of clothes. Isn't that silly?"