Twenty-five Pinwheels

 

It’s been three weeks since Dr. Seuss’ birthday. I’ve had plenty of time to read Dr. Seuss Enterprises’ statement announcing the six books it has ceased printing: And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street (1937), McElligot's Pool (1947), If I Ran the Zoo (1950), Scrambled Eggs Super! (1953), On Beyond Zebra (1955), and The Cat’s Quizzer (1976). I’ve also re-examined all six, and come to my own conclusions. For the other four, I think the publisher made the right decision; no one will miss them. But McElligot’s Pool and If I Ran the Zoo were Caldecott honor books. The American Library Association declared their excellence when they were first published. Caldecott books are generally published FOREVER. If I Ran the Zoo has one offensive illustration, and I can find nothing insensitive about McElligot’s Pool. Wouldn’t it have been better to print these two with a disclaimer like the one Disney uses for Dumbo and Peter Pan?