It has recently been announced that six Dr. Seuss books will no longer be published because of their use of offensive imagery.
Dr. Seuss Enterprises said it has decided to end publication and licensing of books by Theodor Seuss Geisel. The titles include And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street (1937), and If I Ran the Zoo (1950).
“These books portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong,” Dr. Seuss Enterprises said in the statement. The business said the decision came after working with a panel of experts, including educators, and reviewing its catalog of titles.
In And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, a character described as “a Chinaman” has lines for eyes, wears a pointed hat, and carries chopsticks and a bowl of rice. (Editions published in the 1970s changed the reference from “a Chinaman” to “a Chinese man.”) In If I Ran the Zoo, two characters from “the African island of Yerka” are depicted as shirtless, shoeless and resembling monkeys.
The decision to stop the publication of some Dr. Seuss books helps revive a debate over classic children’s titles that do not positively represent minority groups. The other Dr. Seuss books that will no longer be published are, McElligot’s Pool (1947), Scrambled Eggs Super! (1953), On Beyond Zebra! (1955) and The Cat’s Quizzer (1976) will no longer be published.
The popular Cat in the Hat will remain in print for now, although it too has drawn criticism for drawing on racial stereotypes.
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