No Room For Dr. Seuss

 

There’s been a lot of talk about children’s books this past week in social media because of Read Across America, which is great. I love people talking about books. But some of the talk is concerning. I had to reread a post by a friend that expressed his dismay at someone calling Dr. Seuss books inappropriate for our children today. As a children’s author, I am going to start by making this statement: NO CHILDREN’S AUTHOR WRITES A BOOK THAT IS INAPPROPRIATE FOR A CHILD! Oh, a book may not be well written or address a topic that’s not in line with a parent’s belief, but children’s books are written for children with only the best intentions. Publishers are not going to let an author write anything that can be harmful or not appropriate for children. They would not stay in business if they did not have a rigorous set of standards that each writer must meet in order to have their story published. This is one reason why it is so hard to be a children’s author, and why anyone saying a children’s book is inappropriate for a child is ridiculous. I will explain why…

It’s the readers, and the atmosphere, during a given time period that determines the success of a book, or a set of books, and it’s value to society. What we are seeing right now is a social push to integrate books of diversity in all facets of a child’s life (ie: education, sports, cooking…) This is not a bad thing. Like all good teachers do, parents must expand their understanding of book genres and broaden their children’s reading library, and this includes books of diversity AND books that seamlessly represent what our real world looks like today.

Books of diversity have been around forever. So what are books of diversity? They are books that acknowledge and celebrate people of all race, ethnicity and religions. Right now, we are seeing more emphasis on books with people of color because of the social changes happening in our world. As a writer, I think this is wonderful… to a point. The problem arises when readers, or the parents of children, swing too far one way or the other when it comes to books of diversity. For example, encouraging a young reader to select books that have only white characters or only black characters is clearly the wrong thing to do. A parent should have their child read “all kinds” of books no matter the color, ethnicity or religion of the main characters. By having a child read only about their own “kind” or their own generational history, causes the child an inability to have a greater understanding of the people around them in the real world.

By dismissing books once loved in the past, and relegating them to the fire pit, as some would love to do, is alarming and censorship. Instead of throwing a book out or taking a book away from a child because a parent  feels its message is wrong – I suggest the parent read it and discuss it with the child. They should talk about what is right and wrong with the book so that the child can learn from it.

I can’t imagine not reading “And to Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street” to a young reader learning how to describe life around them when they are learning to write. But as this book is one being pulled from production, I share this secret with you . . . Children do not see people the way adults see people! Most do not see color differences, face shapes or deformities until they reach 4^th or 5^th  grade. Young children are not going to see the raciest undertones or subliminal messages that others project on a book because they are CHILDREN. What they do notice is the fun verbiage, the silly illustrations, and the rhyming as found in Dr. Seuss books.

What I have learned as an educator and author is that children only see color and hate because it is pointed out to them by someone older. For example: I sell my books with author Dawn Brotherton that has a sports series for young girls called Lady Tigers.  When a mother and daughter come up to the booth, Brotherton describes the stories to the child. She asks which one the child thinks she might like. Almost 90% of the time, if it is a child of color, the parent talks the child into the book that has a cover showing a black girl. It doesn’t’ matter that the child wanted another story, they end up with the one the parent chooses. I understand the reason the parent chooses the book and I do applaud them for suggesting a book with a protagonist that looks like their child , but my point is, the girls choosing books do not see that there is not a black girl on the other covers, they ONLY see girls. Why, because they haven’t learned that there is a difference in the way the characters look…and they are excited the books are about girls.

So what does this have to do with the books being taken from the shelves? Well, books are being removed because adults do not understand why books are written the way they are in the first place. For example, Little House on the Prairie was pulled because Laura Ingles Wilder did not describe Native American Indians in the “proper” light. Laura Ingles Wilder wrote her own story in her own voice about how she viewed Native Americans in her life. Who are we as a society to say her view of her own life is wrong? The book was to educate others on what life was like for a pioneer girl. It was not written to appease Native Americans or boys or anyone offended by the story. It was written through the eyes of a little girl. And yet, this beloved series of books for young girls has been pulled from shelves or discouraged in households across America. What if it was a story told by a Native American girl who spoke of the hateful pale-faced pioneers? Should this book be pulled as well?

Who is to say that a book I write today, that is appropriate for today, will not be banned in 50 years? Imagine I write a book about a group of boys who build a bridge to Mars because they want to prove they are courageous. But in fifty years from now, all men are incarcerated or killed because they are deemed not necessary in society any longer. I imagine my book would be thrown into a pile of fire if we continue to ban books. It doesn’t matter that the book is about building character, and learning the true meaning of courage, which women can learn about through reading the book… it would still be removed because socially it would not be an appropriate book because it’s about the male species.

This is where we are right now, with books that aren’t meeting the benchmarks for our current society. The problem is it leads us with shelves lacking in history, lacking in life lessons, lacking in diversity. It is a dangerous precedent to set for literature, to say that books once loved by children are no longer appropriate. We have the right to free speech… we have the right to produce great stories for children so that they can learn from them. YOU have the right to not read these stories if you feel they are inappropriate. BUT, I encourage you to read with your child a diverse array of books past and present and teach your child the many lessons found in them, lessons that are good and bad. Every book has its place in the library and in our lives. Just because a book doesn’t fit our own beliefs or lifestyle doesn’t mean it doesn’t fit in our world. There is never room for censorship, only room for learning through discussion, and I encourage you to make your own judgements on books and not leave it to groups hell-bent on deciding what is best for us all.