Be Careful If You Have These Popular Children’s Books at Home
Parents and schools have been warned to urgently remove a series of well-known children’s books after a shocking discovery: a web address printed inside them now leads to explicit adult content. The books in question — Spy Dog, Spy Pups, and Spy Cat, written by Derby author Andrew Cope — are aimed at primary school children and have been family favourites for years. But until recently, a URL at the back of the books directed young readers to a bonus companion website. That domain has since been taken over by a third party who replaced it with inappropriate material.
Schools Urge Parents to Remove Copies
Several schools have already contacted parents about the issue. In some cases, families were sent graphics of the affected titles and told to “remove them immediately”, adding these to the growing list of banned books in schools (though this is a different case, obviously). Any copies owned by schools are being collected and disposed of by staff.
Publisher Puffin Books has paused sales and distribution of the titles while the problem is being dealt with. In a joint statement with the author, they explained:
“In some editions of the Spy Dog, Spy Cat and Spy Pups series there is a reference to the author’s former website. We understand an unconnected third party has very recently taken control of the domain name and is using it to display a different website with inappropriate adult content. We are asking people not to visit the website and ensure that children do not visit it either.”
They stressed that the matter is being treated as urgent, but because it involves legal action, the process of removing the site will take time.
Why This Is a Wake-Up Call
This situation raises a bigger issue for parents and publishers alike: what happens to links printed in books once domains expire? A safe website today could easily become harmful tomorrow if ownership changes hands.
It’s a stark reminder that even offline media isn’t immune from the risks of the online world. Parents may want to check older books in their children’s libraries for links or QR codes and verify where they lead.
The bottom line
The stories themselves remain fun and family-friendly, but until the web address is taken down, both the author and publisher are asking families to temporarily remove these books from shelves at home and in schools.
It’s an unusual case, and one that shows just how complicated the intersection of childhood reading and the internet can become.
