"Six Dr. Seuss books — including “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street” and “If I Ran the Zoo” — will stop being published because of racist and insensitive imagery, the business that preserves and protects the author’s legacy said Tuesday.
“These books portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong,” Dr. Seuss Enterprises told The Associated Press in a statement that coincided with the late author and illustrator’s birthday.
“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,” it said.
The other books affected are “McElligot’s Pool,” “On Beyond Zebra!,” “Scrambled Eggs Super!,” and “The Cat’s Quizzer.”
Read the entire article HERE.
The decision to cease publication and sales of the books was made last year after months of discussion, the company told AP."
While this decision may be shocking to some, the Dr. Seuss catalog has been under increasing criticism for years for racial undertones, propaganda, and harmful stereotypes.
For more information and understanding of the issues, please read "The Cat in the Hat is Out of the Bag: Orientalism, Anti-Blackness and White Supremacy in Dr. Seuss' Children's Books" by Katie Ishizuka and Ramón Stephens, featured in Research on Diversity in Youth Literature journal from St. Catherine University.
Anti-Racism and Dr. Seuss YSS posts
- Responding to Surprised Dr. Seuss Fans 3/3/21
- Racist Imagery and Dr. Seuss – A Note from Tessa 3/5/21
- Philip Nel’s Anti-Racism Resources 3/15/21
For more information on anti-racism and activism resources, please see these additional YSS posts:
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