Utilizing ArcGIS StoryMaps as a digital medium for cartographic storytelling, “Challenges to U.S. Children’s Literacy” examines how the parental rights movement has been leading to book censorship and the protesting of Drag Story Hour’s literacy programming. My project seeks to expose the harm behind these measures enacted by general local, state, and nationwide movements against ‘woke ideology’ and suggests a nonpartisan approach to teaching literacy and critical thinking. By mapping the American Library Association’s data on the number of book titles challenged and number of attempts (or petitions) to restrict access to books—in relation to existing Drag Story Hour chapters—I try to complicate the ‘red’ versus ‘blue’ state narrative and contextualize the impact for a general audience. Acting as a complementary companion, my second interactive map provides geographically situated examples of violent reactions to Drag Story Hour events and to the accessibility of controversial books across the U.S. from 2022-2024. These examples are documented by news outlets, including both a broadcasted video segment and links to articles to learn more. Following this information, I breakdown exclusionary policy from Florida and Iowa that almost justifies this behavior. The project ends with an analysis of criminalized themes and pedagogical suggestions from librarians and teachers for moving forward that avoid further disruption to library and educational infrastructure.