![]() ![]() However, he also wrote books containing positive messages about equality and individual differences. Seuss picture books, overall, "males of color are only presented in subservient, exotified, or dehumanized roles," and women and girls are mostly absent (Ishizuka & Stephens, 2019). When examining the people of color represented in Dr. When he started writing for children, some of these racist caricatures made their way into his books. Early in his career, Geisel was a political cartoonist whose drawings regularly included racist stereotypes. Seuss that have been enjoyed by audiences around the world for more than 80 years. ![]() Theodor Seuss Geisel (1904-1991) wrote more than 60 books under the name Dr. This announcement led to a frenzy of social media discussions about the implications of this decision and its impact on larger issues regarding intellectual property rights, selection, censorship, and building collections that respect diverse users. Working with a panel of experts including educators, they concluded that "these books portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong" and are inconsistent with their mission of supporting children with messages of "hope, inspiration, inclusion, and friendship" (n.p.). Seuss Enterprises owns the intellectual property of Theodor Geisel. Seuss Enterprises announced their decision to "cease publication and licensing" of six titles:Īnd to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street (1937)ĭr. Seuss books would no longer be published. Recently, these two contrasting missions collided with the announcement that six Dr. Increasingly, teacher librarians have sought to build collections that foster inclusion, empathy, and tolerance (AASL, 2019). However, libraries are also safe spaces that support inclusion and respect for diversity. Instead, they make available the widest possible diversity of views and expressions. Librarians resist censorship and attempts at suppression. ![]() The American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights (2006, June 30) and the Freedom to Read Statement (2006, July 26) stress the importance of free and open access to information. Collection maintenance is "best practice," not censorship. When I weeded my first children's collection in the early 1980s, I removed dozens and dozens of biased, racist, and sexist books from the collections I inherited. It's surprising to me that this is still a point of discussion. I learned to read with One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish (1960b) and Green Eggs and Ham (1960a).īack in the 1970s, when I took my first children's literature course, we discussed issues of sexism and racial stereotyping in several of Dr. Like millions of other children around the world, I grew up with books by Theodor Seuss Geisel, known as Dr. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |