Similar to McElligot’s Pool, Scrambled Eggs Super! (1953) also shows a group of stereotypically portrayed Inuit figures, though they are not referred to as such. On Beyond Zebra! (1955) contains an illustration of a stereotypically depicted South Asian character. An Inuit man watc hes from the distance, standing on a piece of ice on which an igloo also rests.
McElligot’s Pool (1947) contains imagery of Inuit fish referred to as “Eskimo fish” donning traditional furs as they swim through icy waters. In the same book are two other stereotypical depictions of Asians and a Middle Easterner. Their features are heavily emphasized and they look like the result of a distasteful minstrel show. In If I Ran the Zoo (1950) is another questionable image that depicts native Africans from a fictional island. So, what exactly is it that makes these books so offensive in the first place?įirst looking at And to Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street (1937), we are greeted with a stereotypical illustration of a Chinese man eating with chopsticks. However, I believe that these books have value beyond just a surface level and tell us all something very important about the past, censorship, and the definition of progress. But why go through all of the trouble? Of course, there is excitement in owning an item of limited quantity, especially if it is banned or known to be controversial in some way. Some have been marked up to hundreds and even thousands of dollars as potential buyers scramble to pick up copies before they become even harder to find. Second hand sales of these books have skyrocketed and they are beginning to become notoriously expensive collectibles. As a response to all of the outrage, it has been determined that these six children’s books, including And to Think That 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 shall no longer be published. Racist images from six separate books have led many people to believe that the man who helped create their childhoods may not have been as innocent as they originally believed. Recently, a major controversy has erupted over the cancellation and rebranding of the Dr.
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