They will not publish them in a house. They will not publish them with a mouse.
Dr. Seuss Enterprises told The Associated Press on Tuesday that six of the late author's books will no longer be published due to insensitive and racist imagery.
"These books portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong," the company said. "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."
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The six Dr. Seuss books that will stop being published 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, and the decision was made last year after a review conducted with "a panel of experts, including educators," Dr. Seuss Enterprises said.
The move comes after a Virginia school district was recently in the news for discouraging educators from "exclusively" connecting Read Across America Day and Dr. Seuss' birthday on March 2, CNN reports, although the author's books were not banned as some claimed. Instead, Loudoun County Public Schools said that Dr. Seuss is "no longer the emphasis of Read Across America Day" in its schools because "research in recent years has revealed strong racial undertones in many" of his books, including "anti-Japanese American political cartoons and cartoons depicting African Americans for sale captioned with offensive language."
Dr. Seuss Enterprises seemed to leave the door open for ceasing the publication of some other titles in the future, telling the AP it's "committed to listening and learning and will continue to review our entire portfolio."
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