I didn't want to put too fine a point on this but the issue really centers
around the n-word.

You're right, of course: what's in HF is mild compared to modern TV, with
the exception of one word.  It would hardly do to have one's 1st grader
repeating that one word at school. And I don't know of a good word
substitution that works.  Does anyone have a suggestion?

I appreciate Ms Ladd's suggestion that certain scenes from the book would be
interesting to young readers (listeners) without all the extra baggage that
comes with reading the whole book.  Although this takes a little homework by
the parent to select appropriate sections. This topic came up because of a
friend's desire to kill two birds with one stone: read a classic himself
while also reading to his child. Extra homework was not the goal.

Ron Wagner