Prairie State Wire

Dr. Seuss, P.D. Eastman and Beverly Cleary were among my favorite authors when I was learning to read.

But by far my favorite series was Dan Frontier by William Hurley. Frontier was a fictional Daniel Boone-type character who hunted and trapped. The books, which were published in 1959, were exciting and engaging and actually could hold the attention of a child like me who couldn’t sit still for more than 15 seconds. 

So, when it was time to teach my oldest daughter Grace to read, I purchased on eBay the entire series, which is long out of print. I figured since I enjoyed them so much as a kid, that my daughter would as well. 

But one night as I read a book aloud to my then 4-year-old, I was brought up short. I didn’t like what I read.

American Indians were portrayed as thieves. In other references they were identified as sneaky and untrustworthy. 

It wasn’t something I wanted my children to be taught. So, I put Dan Frontier back on the shelf and read other titles to my kids.

Censorship? Nope. It’s called parenting.

When children are older I want them to read and discuss works that use controversial language and images. Works like “Huckleberry Finn” deserve to be debated and discussed, provided historical and literary context is given. 

But for youngsters just learning to read we need to be careful that their first books don’t become primers for hate. 

I was thinking about my “Dan Frontier” experience this past week when I read that the firm created by  Theodor Seuss Geisel’s family discontinued six titles because they contained images and words that were hurtful. 

Immediately, pundits came out of the woodwork and screamed about the “Cancel Culture.” 

My Dad loved to read “Green Eggs and Ham” to me. In fact, it’s the only book I can remember him reading with me. My Mom loved to read “Are you my Mother” by P.D. Eastman, a work which Seuss edited. 

I have no recollection from my childhood of any of Seuss’ works being offensive. If anything, I associate them with lots of parental love. 

But nostalgia and memories are a bit like food and smorgasbords. You take what you want and forget the rest.

And there is a lot of nostalgia out there for Dr. Seuss, just as there was for me and Dan Frontier. 

Seuss wrote many wonderful books. Some of his works fought antisemitism in the United States. And he literally illustrated the evils of fascism. 

But there is no denying some of his images, particularly in some of lesser known works are flat out racist. Blacks and Asians are the object of ridicule with both his words and his paint brush.

Here is how NBC news described some of his work: In “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street,” a white man is shown using a whip on a man of color. In “If I Ran the Zoo,” a white boy holds a large gun while standing on the heads of three Asian men. “If I Ran the Zoo” also features two men from Africa who are shirtless, shoeless and wearing grass skirts while holding an exotic animal.”

On the other hand, some of Seuss’ works like “Horton Hears a Who” are stories preaching against bigotry. 

“We live in a culture that is very polarizing. People want to know whether his work is racist or not. Some of his work is and some of it isn’t,” said Philip Nel, a professor at Kansas State University who is considered an authority on all things Seuss.

When I chatted with Nel on Monday, he said when he heard that six Dr. Seuss books were no longer to be published he wasn’t surprised by which ones. Their content has long been a point of contention among scholars. 

These are works that are being discontinued: “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.”

The news became public March 2 on Dr. Seuss’ birthday. 

The public outcry shouldn’t be surprising. After all, nostalgia can be a tricky thing. We want to remember the happy memories and forget the uncomfortable ones. But that doesn’t make for a better world. It’s better to look at life with clear eyes and an open mind.

To quote Seuss: “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot. Nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

– Scott Reeder is a veteran statehouse journalist. He works as a freelance reporter in the Springfield area. Scottreeder1965@gmail.com