Derrick Barnes, a best-selling author who has won numerous literary prizes for his books featuring Black children, will no longer be visiting schools in two Alabama suburbs after controversy arose last week.

Last week, Hoover City Schools scrubbed Barnes’ visits to three elementary schools Feb. 7, 8 and 9 after a parent complaint. Now, Barnes will no longer appear at scheduled visits to the Hoover Public Library or Alabaster City Schools, the author said in a Facebook post Monday.

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Barnes responded again to the ordeal this week, calling the cancellations a result of the “narrow-minded thinking of a small few.”

“Last week, an entire week of school visits I had scheduled in two suburbs of Birmingham, AL were canceled by a phantom parent who was concerned with my work supposedly fitting into the boogie man category of critical race theory,” he wrote in the post.

The offer and reversal comes amid national efforts to restrict or ban certain books and topics in many schools. This year, Alabama lawmakers want to go further and make the teaching of “divisive” topics illegal in K-12 and higher education.

Hoover City Schools officials originally said Barnes had failed to provide the necessary documentation to secure a contract with the district. Superintendent Dee Fowler, however, said later that an elementary school principal was contacted by a parent who alleged some of Barnes’ prior social media posts contained “controversial ideas.”

Barnes had some choice words for Fowler, who called Barnes a “controversial guy” in an interview with AL.com.

“Okay buddy,” Barnes said in a Facebook post Monday. “You are denying the children in your district an opportunity to expand their minds and to be exposed to authors and books that will equip them to be in a very diverse world, and teach them empathy and understanding towards others.”

The cancellation sparked backlash locally and nationwide, gaining attention from free speech and civil rights advocates. Some community members are now fundraising to make up for Barnes’ monetary losses, and to support more local efforts to diversify children’s books.

Barnes said he wanted to give a “HUGE hug” to those who have reached out in support.

“NOTHING will stop me from creating books that exhibit Black joy, and aim to teach inclusivity, defiance, excellence, the truth, honest, accurate history of others, resistance and most importantly, love,” he wrote.

Barnes has won Caldecott and Newbery Awards for his children’s books, which include “Crown,” “I Am Every Good Thing,” and “King of Kindergarten.” He is the only author to have twice won the Kirkus Prize.

He earned three more awards for his book “Victory. Stand! Raising My Fist For Justice” from the American Library Association on Monday, Jan. 30.