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People can see all kinds of things in illustrated literature.
I've read Dr. Seuss to my kids and grandkids, in other words for decades. If there's racist propaganda there sure fooled me. 
It was a brand of insect repellent.
Early Horton:
:large
And she posted a "Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss" message on her twitter account along with a picture of herself dressed as The Cat in the Hat (which I posted elsewhere in the thread)
Edit to add: So it seems odd for her to go after Dr. Seuss in this public way when she herself seems to celebrate his work.
not taking anything from a 1st lady who happens to be an open racist(trumped up birther controversy), the hypocrisy of these types of people, white supremacist, male and female, would be laughable if it didn't enrage and offend so much. to hell with trumps.....
nothing laudable about anything done by this ...'1st lady' 
growing up...always thought he was weird, but entertaining in his 'rabbit hole' madness...the japanese depictions of his during WW2, the bucked out teeth and other stereotypes were the times....hell 9/11 proved that even rational people can stop thinking and grab hold of RW propaganda and run with it...hardly a squawk on 'Patriot Act'...still with us today.
No I didn't and still don't think he was racist per se....just white culture oriented....no blacks in dr. seuss..... but what can be expected from those times and temperament of white culture....
He was considered a liberal democrat, but did depict blacks as savages, grassskirts, living in tropical climes...but most of white society, then and still today, think of black people in this manner...they just use a newer term...'thug'.
Nope, dr. seuss an open n***** hating white person? Maybe not. Just an example of growing up in a white supremacist oriented society.
In this early Seuss cartoon, a store sells items which correspond to popular expressions.
What a library does or does not carry is up to the library.
I already said I don't give two shits what a library chooses to carry, nor do I give two shits what students read or don't read.
The question of "Did Dr. Seuss draw racially stereotypical cartoons" is an objective question of fact. And, as I noted, one may, or may not, consider the expression "n----r in the woodpile" to be a racially pejorative expression or not.
This is classically divisive behavior - stir up shit about some stupid thing someone said somewhere on the planet, and force people to take sides on it. Not playing your game today.
The librarian has an opinion. I haven't had much of a long chat with her to try to understand why she said what she did, and really, honestly don't give two shits in the first place.
And before you go on about "then why comment" - again - my comment was directed to things Dr. Seuss produced, about which many people might not know.
Here's an interesting book:
Was the Cat in the Hat Black?: The Hidden Racism of Children's Literature, and the Need for Diverse Books
https://www.amazon.com/Was-Cat-Hat-Black-Literature/dp/019063507X
If I gave a shit about this to any great extent, I might read that and see what the author has to say.
So, I know it is of great importance to you to know whether I agree with this librarian, but I have to say that I really don't know much of what this librarian is on about. I do know that Seuss produced some outstandingly racist stuff.
So, go get yourself a big, dark Mike:
books to a library
will we see her in Puerto Rico alongside that hateful person she claims as lifemate....?
On any given day, Liz Phipps Soeiro might be inviting families to hear a speaker, such as Pulitzer Prize–winning author Junot Díaz, at her elementary school library—or riding a bike to local parks to give away books. Both reveal her commitment to families at Cambridgeport School in Cambridge, MA, and its community. At the school, in a historic brick building a mile from Harvard University, nearly 40 percent of the pre-K through fifth grade students are from low-income backgrounds, and others have parents who work at Harvard or MIT. “We have a lot of wealth in the city, but we also have people who experience poverty,” says Phipps Soeiro.
Five years ago, “Liz the Librarian,” as she is affectionately known, noticed that parents and caregivers often lingered to socialize after dropping kids off. She also saw that within this racially and socioeconomically diverse population, not all parents felt included in the school or local government. With that in mind, she created a morning program called Coffee and Conversations. Once a week, she invites a speaker for casual meetings with parents at the library. Guests have included the mayor, school committee members, and local artists. Following President Trump’s executive order banning travel from six Muslim nations, she invited a representative from the Council on American Islamic Relations and an attorney from the Muslim Justice League to speak to an audience including some 25 Muslim families about their rights. The lawyer met with individual families afterward.
“She’s a true linchpin of the school community, with a warm and respectful welcome for every child, family member, caretaker, and educator who comes through the library,” says Elissa Gershowitz, executive editor of SLJ sister publication The Horn Book, whose son attends Cambridgeport.
“Friend” is a word that comes up often when Phipps Soeiro starts talking about parents. She gets to know them and encourages them to share special skills with students. One mother, whose four children attended, is a rapper and songwriter who, over a month and a half, “helped [students] write and perform a song about our school and library,” says Phipps Soeiro.
The library’s collection reflects Phipps Soeiro’s commitment to social justice. Titles such as Margarita Engle’s Drum Dream Girl and Debbie Levy and Elizabeth Baddeley’s I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark spark discussions about government and fairness. During a field trip to city hall, students sat in council chambers and asked questions of city leaders.
http://www.slj.com/2017/08/industry-news/liz-the-librarian-liz-phipps-soeiro-2017-hero-of-family-outreach/
She is an impressive woman... I wonder why they sent the books to this particular school.
I guess she is a complicated person.
Here is a picture of her dressed as the Cat in the Hat.
:large
A DVD of Gone With The Wind? 
Last edited Fri Sep 29, 2017, 01:42 PM - Edit history (1)
Dear Mrs. Trump
SEPTEMBER 26, 2017 BY LIZ PHIPPS SOEIRO
http://www.hbook.com/2017/09/blogs/family-reading/dear-mrs-trump/
Edit to add:
Also a picture of her holding the letter and the Cat in the Hat book and making a sad face:
someone sent it to me via e-mail about an hour ago. It is thoughtful and gracious. It obviously took a great deal of time to write.
I was absolutely shocked at the responses on this thread that the letter has received.
But we have our very own thoughtful, eloquent posters here who have made the important points. Thank you, WhiskeyGrinder. And thank you, struggleforprogress. Your post frames a way to think about gray area situations, like this one.
Cher
I'll take that for what it's worth, based on your fine examples upthread.
Cher
this librarian would not use words like "rejecting," "lefty communist sympathizer", or "anti-Christian." These are hot-button words and someone as erudite as Liz would avoid them. She would be interested in getting her point across, not getting someone's ire.
The reaction would be this:
I did not know this about Dr. Seuss. I am very appreciative of the fact that you took the time and effort to write this letter.
You've also reminded me of the fact that our nation employs some very knowledgeable experts and as first lady, I can avail myself of their input. I would very much like to meet Carla Hayden for purposes of future projects. Again, my thanks go to you for bringing her to my attention.
Why do you think this librarian wrote this letter? Because of attribution theory, we really cannot speculate, but if I had to, I would say she sincerely felt her voice would add something to the public discourse. This is something that, as a teacher, we try to get our students to do. Everyone sees situations in a unique way; the problem is how to get people to express their thoughts in a manner that others will listen. This is how we become stronger as a nation: we listen to our critics.
Cher
Massachusetts librarian who compared Dr. Seuss books to 'blackface minstrelsy' once dressed as Cat in the Hat
By Phil Demers
pdemers@masslive.com
The Massachusetts librarian who said she sees "racist propaganda, caricatures and harmful stereotypes" in Dr. Seuss books looked pretty happy to be dressed as Cat in the Hat in 2015.
http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2017/09/dr-seuss-is-racist_librarian_d.html
