Dr. Seuss - A Product of His Time?

Forgive, Forget or Freak Out?

In Episode 54 – The Legacy of Theodore Seuss Geisel, Curator 135 takes a look at some of the not so bright spots from the career of a man who changed children’s literature forever.

What caused the National Education Association to step away from Dr. Seuss? March is Reading Month and more specifically National Read Across America day were, for many years, centered around Geisel’s birthday, March 2nd. While the day remains the same, the link to Dr. Seuss is fading away.

Below are some of the reasons why.

1928 – 1941 Flit Insecticide

1929 Judge Magazine

1939 Political Cartoonist

1942 Treasury Department and the War Production Board

1937 – 1990 Children’s Book Author and Illustrator

The following six books were retired after Dr. Seuss Enterprises made the following 2021 announcement.

March 2, 2021

Today, on Dr. Seuss’s Birthday, Dr. Seuss Enterprises celebrates reading and also our mission of supporting all children and families with messages of hope, inspiration, inclusion, and friendship.

We are committed to action. To that end, Dr. Seuss Enterprises, working with a panel of experts, including educators, reviewed our catalog of titles and made the decision last year to cease publication and licensing of the following titles: 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.

Ceasing sales of these books is only part of our commitment and our broader plan to ensure Dr. Seuss Enterprises’s catalog represents and supports all communities and families.
https://www.seussville.com/statement-from-dr-seuss-enterprises/