Banned books have been a part of our society for many reasons. The banning of books is a controversial act. The right or wrong of it is not for this writer to say, at least not for the purposes of this article. Instead, here, the reader will examine the books by Dr. Seuss that are now on this famous list. What books by this iconic children’s author are finding themselves on the banned books list? What is the reason for this action being taken? With the decision coming out on the author’s birthday, many commentators have chalked the act up to “cancel culture”. After discovering the reasoning for the bans, you decide!
Banned Book: “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street”
The Mulberry Street book, Dr. Seuss’s first publication, is banned due to its portrayal of people of Asian descent. In the pages, a Chinese character is described as eating rice, wearing conical hats, and having slanted eyes. In an illustration, a man is colored yellow and labeled as Chinese, eating with sticks. It is important to note, in regard to the illustration, that Seuss himself made a change to this in 1978. In the alteration, the author elected to remove pigtails and color from the image in later editions.
Banned Book: “If I Ran the Zoo”
“If I Ran the Zoo” presents a boy on an expedition with slanted eyes. Much like the previous example, this is seen by many as a derogatory depiction. The reader will also find Africans depicted in a questionable manner in this book. On the African island of Yerka, the tribesman is shown to be small in stature, with large hoops driven through their noses.
Banned Book: “McElligot’s Pool” & “Scrambled Eggs Super!”
“McElligot’s Pool” and “Scrambled Eggs Super!”were hard ones to figure out. Its offensive nature is obviously centered around the Inuit people. Eskimo, once acceptable even by the Inuit people, is now widely recognized as offensive. When the term was introduced, it denoted consuming raw fish and perpetuated a stereotype. So, using Eskimo coupled with some imagery may be the reason for “McElligot’s Pool” book ban.
In the pages, fish are depicted with fur-lined coats, a feature of many Inuit pieces of attire. It is not entirely known why this would be offensive because it accurately describes an article worn due to extreme cold. Perhaps because the attire adorns a fish? In “Scrambled Eggs Super!” the people of a fictional nation are shown in furs and a padded skin boat. While it is obvious where this attire is inspired by, it is unsure to this observer why it is offensive in nature.
Banned Book: “On Beyond Zebra!”
“On Beyond Zebra!” is another perplexing decision for this writer to understand. It is obvious that the issue stems from the character “Nazzim of Bazzim“. Though of unspecified nationality, the camel rider appears to be of Arab descent. He is presented on a single page in the book. The rider vaguely resembles a stereotypical view of what could be attached to a specific culture. The imagery doesn’t present as disrespectful.
One must also consider this: presenting cultural differences to children honorably is necessary. This cultivates an understanding of differences in tradition and culture. It creates a mindset of inclusion and acceptance. Society should also consider intent in our evaluation of imagery and stereotypes. We should not become so sensitive as a society that we fail to teach our youth about true differences and the beauty in them.
Banned Book: “The Cat’s Quizzer”
“The Cat’s Quizzer” is an obvious observation to make. The book includes an illustration of a yellow figure wearing a Vietnamese-style collie hat. The caption under the image reads, “How old do you have to be to be a Japanese?” The depiction of Asian people as yellow is and has always been an insulting reference. The attire is a stereotype, and the caption directly links to a specific nation of people. This illustration is easy to assess as offensive to certain people in our reading community.
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