Six children’s books written by Dr. Seuss decades ago were pulled from publication because they contain racist and insensitive imagery, the company formed to preserve the deceased author’s legacy said on Tuesday.
The books – “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street,” “If I Ran the Zoo,” “McElligot’s Pool,” “On Beyond Zebra!” “Scrambled Eggs Super!” and “The Cat’s Quizzer” – are among more than 60 books written by Dr. Seuss, the pen name of the American writer and illustrator Theodor Geisel, who died in 1991.
Dr. Seuss Enterprises chose to make the announcement on March 2, the anniversary of Geisel’s birth in 1904.
In 1998, the National Education Association designated his birthday as Read Across America Day, an annual event aimed at encouraging children and teens to read.
The most famous Dr. Seuss titles – “The Cat in the Hat” and “Green Eggs and Ham” – were not on the list of books that will be yanked from publication. “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” often tops the New York Times bestseller list during graduation season, and also was not on the list of scrapped books.
“Open one of his books (“If I Ran a Zoo” or “And to Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street,” for example), and you’ll see the racist mockery in his art,” librarian Liz Phipps Soerio told Melania Trump in a letter.
Publishers of the books included Random House and Vanguard Press.
Dr. Seuss Enterprises said it worked with a panel of experts, including educators, to review its catalogue and made the decision last year to end publication and licensing.
The company said the move was a first step in its efforts to promote inclusion for all children.
“Ceasing sales of these books is only part of our commitment and our broader plan to ensure Dr. Seuss Enterprises’ catalog represents and supports all communities and families,” the company said.
At a White House briefing on Tuesday, reporters asked why President Joe Biden read a proclamation about this year’s National Read Across America Day but made no mention of Dr. Seuss. White House press secretary Jen Psaki noted the day was designed to elevate and celebrate a love of reading among young people.
“It is especially important that we ensure all children can see themselves represented and celebrated in the books that they read,” Psaki said at the White House briefing.
Nel said the author, who also wrote “The Sneetches,” a parable about discrimination and racial intolerance, wasn’t conscious of how racism influenced his visual imagination.
“At the same time he’s writing books that attempt to oppose discrimination (such as ‘Horton Hears a Who!’ and ‘The Sneetches’, he’s also recycling stereotypes in other books (‘If I Ran the Zoo,’ ‘Scrambled Eggs Super!’).”