Publisher withdraws six Dr Seuss books over intolerant imagery

SIX DR Seuss books will no longer be published because of racist and insensitive imagery, the business that preserves the author’s legacy has said.

“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’ catalogue represents and supports all communities and families.”

The six books are 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.

The decision to cease publication and sales followed months of discussion, the company told AP.

“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 catalogue of titles,” it said.

Books by Dr Seuss – who was born Theodor Seuss Geisel in Massachusetts on March 2 1904 – have been translated into dozens of languages as well as in braille and are sold in more than 100 countries. He died in 1991.

He remains popular, earning an estimated $33m (£23m) before taxes in 2020. Forbes listed him second on its highest-paid dead celebrities of 2020, behind only Michael Jackson.

There has been increasing criticism in recent years over the way black people, Asians and others are drawn in some of his books.

In 2017, a school librarian in Cambridge, Massachusetts, criticised a gift of 10 Dr Seuss books from first lady Melania Trump, saying many of his works were “steeped in racist propaganda, caricatures and harmful stereotypes”.