“If we drive the demand, then there will be more diversity in children’s literature.”
“I would say to parents and grandparents, there certainly is a place for classics, but the diverse books are out there and the more we purchase them or check them out at the library, the more there will be,” Giles says. Daily exposure to diversity helps children see themselves and experience differences in their world. Giles says the children’s book industry is still lagging on providing diverse books that feature people of color. The six discontinued books display more overt racism, but many of Seuss’ works also contain more subtle acts of racism, such as mostly white imagery.īut Seuss isn’t alone in perpetuating this. While Seuss’ entire canon won’t be thrown out, Giles says the people she’s spoken with about the news have had emotional reactions because it’s difficult to grapple with a beloved figure perpetuating racism in their work. This reckoning on Seuss’ work has been a long time coming, she says. When Giles borrowed the book to see for herself, she was stunned. Juanita Giles, founder and executive director of the Virginia Children’s Book Festival, learned about the racist imagery from a friend who saw the illustrations while reading to her granddaughter. Seuss Enterprises, which works to preserve Seuss' legacy, recently announced six of his books will cease publication, including “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street” and “If I Ran the Zoo.” But many of his books are now being pulled for depicting racially insensitive images.ĭr. Seuss’ whimsical stories have educated and entertained generations of children.
(Steven Senne/AP) This article is more than 2 years old.ĭr. Seuss, rests in a chair, Monday, March 1, 2021, in Walpole, Mass. A copy of the book "And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street," by Dr.
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