Dr Seuss' stories create stir again; publication shelves 6 books over racism claims

Six children books from the archives of Dr Seuss, including And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street and If I Ran the Zoo images, were ceased from being published for containing racist and insensitive imagery. This action has received a mixed response from netizens. While some came in support of it, a few described it as erasing history. Regardless, it is a fact that Dr Seuss' books have been a common topic of debate for a few years now. On the occasion of the late Dr Seuss' birthday, Dr Seuss Enterprises released an official statement that aligned with the decision of pulling the books off the shelf.

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Dr Seuss Racist Images Banned from Publishing

On Tuesday, March 2, the business that preserves and protects the author’s legacy released an official statement that described the reason behind Dr Seuss books censored.

“Dr Seuss Enterprises listened and took feedback from our audiences including teachers, academics and specialists in the field as part of our review process. We then worked with a panel of experts, including educators, to review our catalog of titles."

These books were originally published between 1937 and 1976 during which racism wasn't dealt with as sensitively as it is now. Though Dr Seuss was himself anti-racism and has also written books that attempt to oppose discrimination, the stereotypes he resorted to in a silly manner influenced otherwise. This controversy first sowed its seeds in early 2017 when former first lady Melania Trump offered a donation of 10 Dr Seuss books to a school in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The librarian of the school politely declined the gift and penned a letter that described why Librarian Liz Phipps Soerio wrote, "Open one of his books and you’ll see the racist mockery in his art,” 

This incident paved the way for countless debates online that ultimately nudged Dr Seuss Enterprises to take this action. Many respected the decision of Dr Seuss books no longer published and sang praises of the company for doing so but a few remained grumpy and called this an example of "cancel culture." Philip Nel, a children’s literature scholar at Kansas State University, came in support of the decision with an impressive analogy. He compared this situation with seat belts, described that cars did not have seatbelts in the 1950s, which was later recognised as dangerous that led to the incorporation of safety. Similarly, many books knowingly and unknowingly recycled racist caricatures in an attempt to sprew jokes, which are now recognised as dangerous and is being reflected on. 

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Dr Seuss racist images in children books lead to Ban; 6 books no longer being published