Shen Shixi introducing his book on Shanghai Book Fair. Photo:Sina Weibo

A children's comic book that debuted at the Shanghai Book Fair on Thursday has ignited hot debate among Chinese netizens and parents, many of whom are concerned that its depiction of animals mating may have a negative influence on children.  

The Last War Elephant, an adaptation of the book of the same name by Chinese children's literature author Shen Shixi, tells the story of a dying war elephant who travels across mountains and rivers with its saddle in order to reach an elephant tomb where its dead companions were buried.

Many netizens defended the depictions of animal behavior in the book. 

"One of the reasons why there are so many cases of child molestation is because parents have not taught their children enough about sex. I still don't know why they are continuing to avoid this?" reads one comment on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo that has received 23,000 likes. 

"We cannot encourage a pronatalist policy while refusing to even mention the word 'sex.' It is irrational," wrote another netizen in a post with 3,352 likes. 

While some netizens said they believe those who are worried about the content in the book are making a fuss, some parents and teachers have voiced a different opinion. 

"I'm a mother and I have read this book myself. Some descriptions in this book are quite sensitive if not connected with the other paragraphs. We just don't want our children to learn about sex so early," said one netizen. 

"If they are not accompanied by teachers or parents, children may imitate these behaviors when they read the book," Emily Zhan, a preschool teacher, told the Global Times.

Shen is best known as the "King of Animal Stories." In his previous books and novels, "such descriptions about mating come naturally as the story unfolds," Shen told the Global Times. 

Though this is not the first time he has been criticized for such "sensitive" content, Shen said he believes that it is not harmful if readers focus more on the story itself. "The story as a whole is about the spirit of persistence and competing according to the law of nature, it's not about sex," Shen said.

Most readers of Shen's books are children aged 7 to 11 years old. 

"Some concern from parents and teachers is understandable, and we will discuss with the publication house about deleting or rewriting some sentences," said Shen. "However, I don't think it's a big problem when you think of it as the natural development of a species." 

On Chinese media review platform Douban, reviews of Shen's books range between 7/10 to 9/10. 

This is not the first time that Shen has come under fire. 

Four years ago, an article published by a mother under the penname "Funny Mother" that questioned the usage of certain words in Shen's animal stories went viral in China.

"My books are from the animals' point of view while also examining the issues of human society," Shen told the Global Times. "It's a good way for my little readers to know how this world functions, including the reproduction part," he added.