LEE COUNTY, Fla. - Second-graders are reading a book with what some say are racial slurs, but the Lee County School District says it's for a good cause.

The book is "Nothing Wrong with a Three-Legged Dog."

Even though some of the words have parents upset, the school district said there's nothing wrong with it because it's teaching kids not to bully.

It's a book aimed at teaching kids NOT to bully, but parents say it's doing just the opposite.

"Kids are going to remember what they read and normally it's those things that you don't want them to remember that they'll remember most," Gerald Pate said.

The first line in "Nothing Wrong with a Three-Legged Dog" reads: "My name is Keath. But you can call me Whitey. or Vanilla. or Mayonnaise.

10-year-old Colin Murphy's grandma showed him the book and he read more of the first page.

"Lynda is zebra because her mother is black and her father is white," Colin read.

"I would be offended by it, personally," Pate said. "I think it's terrible to teach kids that in the second grade."

"It's not very nice," Colin reacted. "She's a person. She's just just the same as everybody."

Lee County School spokesman Joe Donzelli defended the book saying, "We don't tell parents every book kids read. I don't think any school district does that. If it's approved by the state, it's appropriate."

WINK News couldn't find anyone who agrees.

"No, they shouldn't have that in the schools," Pate said.

"I think it's teaching them the wrong message," Donna Martel said.

Another line offended Colin's grandmother.

"It's a white bread mayonnaise vanilla..." (pauses) "No, absolutely no.

"You won't even read that?" I asked.

"That's terrible," Martel responded.

The word she wouldn't say is "honky."

"I don't even think a second grader would even understand what that is," Martel said. "They would think it's funny."

"Honky is almost as bad as saying (the n word)," Pate said.

The book is endorsed by the anti-defamation league.

The school district said both parents and kids need to read the entire book to get the point and picking it apart doesn't do justice to the book or the author.