BOSTON -- Six Dr. Seuss books will no longer be published due to racist and insensitive imagery, Dr. Seuss Enterprises announced Tuesday.
The announcement coincides with Dr. Seuss’s birthday. Titles that will no longer be published include: “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.”
“These books portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong,” Dr. Seuss Enterprises said in a statement. “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.”
Furthermore, Dr. Seuss Enterprises says its books are meant to celebrate reading and support its mission of supporting all children and families with messages of hope, inspiration, inclusion, and friendship.
Dr. Seuss Enterprises says it worked with a panel of experts, including educators, to review its catalog of titles and determine which titles contain potentially inappropriate imagery by modern standards.
Dr. Seuss Enterprises, which aims to preserves and protects the author and illustrator’s legacy, didn’t say specifically what caused the books to be problematic, but the Associated Press pointed out several potential issues, particularly with the two most famous books being discontinued.
In “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street,” an Asian person is portrayed wearing a conical hat, holding chopsticks, and eating from a bowl.
“If I Ran the Zoo” includes a drawing of two bare-footed African men wearing what appear to be grass skirts with their hair tied above their heads.
Dr. Seuss, born Theodor Seuss Geisel in Springfield, Massachusetts, on March 2, 1904, is one of the most beloved authors of children’s books. His works includes classics such as “The Cat in the Hat,” “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” “Green Eggs and Ham,” “The Lorax” and more.
His books have been translated into dozens of languages as well as in braille and sold in more than 100 countries. He died in 1991.