Julianne Moore says her picture book has been “banned by the Trump Administration from schools run by the Department of Defense.” The actress is the author of the Freckleface Strawberry series. The series tells the story of “a red- haired and frecklefaced 7-year-old girl who’s learning to love the skin she’s in,” per the series’ website. In an Instagram post shared on February 16, 2025, Julianne wrote that it was “a great shock” to learn that Frecklace Strawberry is no longer available in some schools.
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The Department of Defense shared that it is reviewing some library books “potentially related to gender ideology or discriminatory equity ideology topics,” The Guardian reported. According to the publication, Julianne Moore’s Freckleface Strawberry is one of the books under review.
In her post, Julianne thanked PEN America for bringing the ban to her attention. However, she couldn’t wrap her head around why her book, which is a picture book about a 7-year-old girl who learns to love her freckles, would be challenged.
“Freckleface Strawberry is a semi-autobiographical story about a seven year old girl who dislikes her freckles but eventually learns to live with them when she realizes that she is different ‘just like everybody else,'” Julianne wrote on Instagram. “It is a book I wrote for my children and for other kids to remind them that we all struggle, but are united by our humanity and our community.”
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According to The Guardian, the “tens of thousands” of children attending schools for military families won’t have access to the book. Julianne added that she’s “particularly stunned,” given that she is “a proud graduate” of a Department of Defense school. Her father is a Vietnam veteran.
“It is galling for me to realize that kids like me, growing up with a parent in the service and attending a @dodea_edu school will not have access to a book written by someone whose life experience is so similar to their own,” Julianne continued. Later in the post, she added that she “can’t help but wonder what is so controversial about this picture book.”
A description of the series reads: “Once upon a time there was a little girl who was just like everybody else. She was seven. She was short. She could ride a bike. She was just like everybody else, except for one thing. She had red hair. And something worse … FRECKLES!”
Fans reacted to Julianne’s post in disbelief.
“What has happened to our country?” one person commented on Instagram.
“I love this book!” a parent wrote. “Read it to all three of my kids. One of their favorites. This is shameful!”
Additionally, several other celebrities shared their thoughts.
“Oh my friend this is frightening!” Halle Berry commented. “I’m so sorry this is happening !!”
