Lisa and Kate Reynolds a librarian from Canada, discuss the fallout after Dr. Seuss Enterprises one year ago decided not to publish six books. This episode is being published on March 2, which is his birthday and Read Across America Day.
Kate is known as the Lavender Librarian and is an openly autistic and queer librarian from Canada. In 2021, she founded Storytime Solidarity to create inclusive StoryTimes that welcome everyone. You can find her on instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
This discussion highlights the importance of the representation of all children in picture books. In studying more than 50 Seuss books, this analysis shows 2% of characters in the books are minorities and there aren’t any little girls who aren’t white in the collection. Plus, Lisa and Kate talk about the types of roles minority and female characters play in the books as well.
Philip Nel, a scholar of children’s literature, writes on this topic and you can find him here. He has written several books about Dr. Seuss, including: Was the Cat in the Hat Black? The Hidden Racism of Children’s Literature, and the Need for Diverse Books.
Books discussed on the show:
A Big Mooncake for Little Star by Grace Lin
What Will Fit by Grace Lin
The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
Go, Otto, Go! by David Milgrim
Going Somewhere by David Milgrim
An Elephant & Piggie Biggie by Mo Willems
The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson
For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website.
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