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| Attleboro Library Director, Joan Pilkington-Smyth, and Children's libraian, Krystal Brown, look at some books by Dr. Seuss at the Attleboro Public Library Friday. |
October 23, 2017
When people used to discuss the beloved children’s author Dr. Seuss, they would talk about the playful rhymes and whimsical images that made up his collection of best-selling children’s books. Now, they’re discussing prejudice.
Last month in Cambridge, elementary school librarian Liz Phipps Soiero posted an open letter online that rejected a donation of 10 Dr. Seuss books from first lady Melania Trump.
Soiero said that Seuss’s illustrations are “steeped in racist propaganda, caricatures and harmful stereotypes,” and are “a bit of a cliché” and “a tired and worn ambassador for children’s literature.”
She raised issues specifically with books like “And To Think I Saw it on Mulberry Street” for allegedly racist depictions of Chinese culture, and “The Cat in the Hat” for alleged racism against black entertainers.
And, Soiero criticized the first lady for her donation to a wealthy Cambridge school — saying the books would be better served to a less-privileged school in need of the donation.
But after her letter went viral, Soiero faced a slew of commentary from the public about her decision, including a statement given by Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno.
He objected to Soiero’s comments, and even invited the first lady and President Donald Trump to come and visit The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss, a museum in Springfield, where Seuss is from.
Then, the museum decided to take down a mural after three prominent children’s authors complained that it contains a “jarring racial stereotype” of a Chinese person. A Chinese-American developer and a businessman from the area subsequently announced that they were willing to buy the mural if it was removed.
Although much of the public was not shy about giving their two cents on the Dr. Seuss imbroglio via social media, local librarians contacted for this story were hesitant to make quick judgements.
Joan Pilkington-Smyth, the director of the Attleboro Public Library, was well-aware of the issue and all of the controversy it had caused. “We’re not here to say it’s totally bad literature, and we’re working on developing a way to respond to parents and students,” she said.
Pilkington-Smyth said that Attleboro was preparing an official response to confused parents who now aren’t sure what to make of their kids’ favorite books.
Eunice Franklin, youth services director for the Richards Memorial Library in North Attleboro, had heard about controversy as well. However, she had not run into any conflict with the books.
“No parents have asked us or raised any concern on the matter,” she said.
Personally, Franklin says she still plans to enjoy the many positive books written by Dr. Seuss. “The bulk of his work was the exact opposite of racist,” she said.
Kitty Schacht, a children’s librarian and the assistant director at Mansfield Public Library, was also leery of boycotting the books altogether. “Dr. Suess was a product of his time, and lots of authors then were a product of their time,” she said. “But I don’t think kids are going to pick up on the messages so easily.”
Schacht also offered a positive perspective on the controversial images in the books. “If kids do pick up on the messages,” she said, “parents can use that as a learning opportunity for their children.”
According to Amy Phillips-Losso, an associate professor in the early childhood education department at Wheelock College, Schacht had the right idea.
“When I read Seuss to children, I point out these racist images right away,” she said. “I intend to do so from the beginning, to create ‘teachable moments.’”
Phillips-Losso and Schacht shared the idea that as long as the issues with these images were brought up in discussions between children and educators, they would not be harmful in the long term.
“My parents even told me 55 years ago that some of Seuss’s images and words were prejudiced,” said Phillips-Losso.
Adam Ulenski, an assistant professor at the college of elementary and early childhood education at Bridgewater State University, expanded upon this idea.
He proposed parents and teachers ask themselves the question, “What is the purpose of the book that I am reading?” before sharing it with their children.
Ulenski explained that different books are appropriate for different purposes. “Dr. Seuss is so popular because so many parents have read him, and the books have been passed down,” he said. “It’s fun, playful literature.”
However, he added that Dr. Seuss may not be appropriate for the purposes of accurate cultural representation. “Ask yourself, ‘What do I want to get from the text? Am I trying to represent a certain culture?’ If so, then there are other books that share more accurate depictions.”
In spite of this, Ulenski was reluctant to say whether all of Dr. Seuss’s books should be overlooked.
“I can’t say whether librarians should or should not get rid of these books,” he explained. “But I think we should always teach our children the truth.”
Source: The Sun Chronicle
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