Naperville Sun | Mar 05, 2021 at 6:13 PM Dr. Seuss children’s books “If I Ran the Zoo,” “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street,” “On Beyond Zebra!” and “McElligot’s Pool,” will continue to be available at the Naperville Public Library branches despite the announcement they will no longer be published because of racist and insensitive imagery. (Christopher Dolan / AP) The Naperville Public Library will continue to carry Dr. Seuss books that contain racist imagery despite a decision to cease publication of six titles by the company that manages author Theodor Seuss Geisel’s intellectual property and legacy. Dr. Seuss Enterprises in a statement this past week said it no longer would publish and license “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” because “these books portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong.” Advertisement The company said it worked with a panel of experts, including educators, to review the catalog of titles and made the decision last year to stop publishing the six books. “Ceasing sales of these books is only part of our commitment and our broader plan to ensure Dr. Seuss Enterprises’ catalog represents and supports all communities and families,” the company said. Advertisement Naperville Library Executive Director Dave Della Terza said he was not surprised by the decision because librarians have been talking about Dr. Seuss for a while. [Most read] Daily horoscope for March 7, 2021 » For example, “If I Ran the Zoo” is on the American Library Association’s list of frequently challenged children’s books. The association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom compiles the list from reports it receives from libraries, schools and the media on attempts to ban books in communities across the country. Della Terza said libraries are not in the business of censorship, and it’s only “every now and then” that the Naperville library has someone question if a title on the shelf is appropriate. Dave Della Terza is executive director of the Naperville Public Library. (Naperville Public Library / HANDOUT) “I think most people realize that a library has lots of stuff that someone can consider controversial for different reasons,” he said. “You may not agree with an author’s point of view; you may not like something in a movie. But we just try to make everything widely available, and then people select what they want it to be able to read. “We keep them on the shelves so people can decide,” he said. “It’s all a balance.” Books that are too dated or no longer relevant often get pushed out because of lack of interest, he said. The library has a process to remove items that haven’t circulated in a specific amount of time, typically between 18 to 24 months. “We get so many new items and you have to take an equal amount of items off the shelf to make room for them. We’re constantly weeding stuff from our shelves,” Della Terza said. Pulled items are put in a book sale or donated to charities. Wear and tear is another way items can leave a collection. Della Terza said the library is constantly replacing books that get worn, and children’s books can get quite grubby, sticky and dirty. “If there isn’t a new copy available, then that’s OK. We keep it as long as we’re able to get it,” he said. “If we don’t have it in the future, then that’s OK too.” While some of the Dr. Seuss titles have offensive racial images, librarians are able to recommend new titles that are more diverse and inclusive, Della Terza said. Advertisement Children’s literature has come a long way and as the community and society diversifies, children’s books are changing too, he said. “I think there are just so many great new books that we can also recommend. We try to focus on those,” he said. “Everyone’s heard of Dr. Seuss, but you may not have heard of some of these other books, and let’s recommend those.” In addition, the Naperville library provides books in nine different world languages, including Spanish, Hindi, Chinese, Russian, Polish, French, Arabic, Marathi and Tamil. Della Terza said patrons have asked for materials in their home language and schools or other organizations have made a similar request. “We realize these are populations in the community that are looking for these types of materials. We add languages kind of based on requests and based on our assessment of who we’re working with in the community itself,” he said. [email protected]
