Author Theodor Seuss Geisel has taken readers on whimsical journeys through Whoville, Kaverns of Krock and the Jungle of Nool, and many other fictional places since the publishing of his first book in 1937.
We know Mr. Geisel better by his pen name Dr. Seuss.
March 2 is “I Love to Read Day” and is celebrated locally as well as nationally with Dr. Seuss books taking center stage during the day.
Dr. Seuss has brought us the memorable characters of “The Cat in the Hat,” “The Grinch,” and hundreds of others accented in bright colors with odd shapes and sizes.
Now, six of the late author’s books will no longer be published because they “portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong.”
The books include the author’s first story “And to Think 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.”
I think the real reason for not republishing these books is that they’re not among Seuss’ best-selling books, and their sales have lagged.
Leaders of Dr. Seuss Enterprises said they were committed to a broader plan that the remaining books represent and support all communities and families.
Each of Dr. Seuss’ books reflects the issues occurring around the author, and the story he wrote was what we should learn from those occurrences.
When Geisel died in 1991 at the age of 87, the New York Times heralded him as the “modern Mother Goose.”
In his 48 books he combined the ridiculous with the logical in generally a homey moral. His rhymes would make both adults and children laugh.
Now it’s adults who think Geisel’s messages shouldn’t continue because one character on one page may be offensive to a small minority of readers.
Geisel often said it’s “best to conceal one’s inner imaginative life from adults.”
Adults overreact and automatically banish things they don’t understand, or they don’t want to take the time to see the true spirit behind historical writings.
Geisel received a special Pulitzer citation for his almost 50 years of contributions to education and contributing to the reading enjoyment of children and their parents.
His books have been translated into 20 languages and have long been mainstays in school libraries and on shelves at home.
While these six books will no longer be republished, they are not being banned. They are still available to us in libraries or in our personal book collections.
They will continue the whimsical way Dr. Seuss approached teaching empathy and forgiveness — traits we need to continue to pass onto the next generation.