[aisle] Dr. Seuss Controversy

Thu Mar 4 11:38:23 CST 2021

Nicely written Trisha.

Carla Buell

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Book a time with Mrs. Buell <https://calendar.google.com/calendar/selfsched?sstoken=UUQwdFd6RG16YWRXfGRlZmF1bHR8ZTY5YTdjNTUwNDVkZGZiOGNjN2RiYzM5MjVmYjhmOGU>
School Library Information Specialist
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Currently listening to: Lavender Blue Murder by Laura Childs
Currently Reading: The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty

________________________________
From: AISLE <aisle-bounces at list.railslibraries.info> on behalf of Honkoski, Trisha via AISLE <aisle at list.railslibraries.info>
Sent: Thursday, March 4, 2021 11:36 AM
To: AISLE-Share: Association of Illinois School Library Educators discussion list <aisle at list.railslibraries.info>
Cc: Honkoski, Trisha <thonkoski at district146.org>
Subject: Re: [aisle] Dr. Seuss Controversy

Thank you, Jennifer.

I think it is also important to note CREW weeding method, endorsed by the ALA, which explicitly recommends removing “Material that contains biased, racist, or sexist terminology or views.” This is not a call to remove all of Seuss, and it not censorship. The CREW method for children’s books “Weed books that reflect racial and gender bias. Consider moving classics that may be used by children’s literature classes to the adult 800s.”

http://www.ala.org/tools/libfactsheets/alalibraryfactsheet15

I understand this is a complex issue.

If you are considering it as a lesson to help them understand why the books will no longer be in print, fine. But please consider the students this may harm in such a “lesson”.  To that end, this may be worth your while.<https://www.al.com/life/2021/03/alabama-professor-on-dr-seuss-discontinuing-racist-books-isnt-cancel-culture.html>

Please also consider - there are so many other books to discuss racism and have these critical conversations written by BIPoC authors and illustrators. There is no reason to center Dr. Seuss in teaching this, especially if we are going to use it to frame conversations as “the way things were” and to shrug it off.  If you insist on this route, consider allies of his time, like John Steinbeck.<https://www.mercurynews.com/2013/11/09/forgotten-documents-reveal-views-on-return-of-japanese-internees-to-monterey-peninsula/>

I appreciate Grace Lin’s thoughts here<https://www.nepm.org/post/dr-seuss-museum-should-honor-fact-he-outgrew-his-racist-past#stream/0>, for those of us who never noticed or cannot understand because you are not among those harmed. She shares her appreciation for his work and the amends he sought.

  *   Mrs. Trisha Honkoski [cid:image001.jpg at 01D710EA.8BFD3D60]

From: AISLE <aisle-bounces at list.railslibraries.info> On Behalf Of JENNIFER BRADY via AISLE
Sent: Thursday, March 4, 2021 10:41 AM
To: AISLE-Share: Association of Illinois School Library Educators discussion list <aisle at list.railslibraries.info>
Cc: JENNIFER BRADY <JENNIFER.BRADY at PSD150.ORG>
Subject: Re: [aisle] Dr. Seuss Controversy

saw this tweet this morning, helpful https://twitter.com/michaelharriot/status/1367331101446922249?s=21<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fmichaelharriot%2Fstatus%2F1367331101446922249%3Fs%3D21&data=04%7C01%7Cjennifer.brady%40psd150.org%7C7827915af01747133f7a08d8df0ab5f8%7C90592b52d760466fbb253098a7cf80e0%7C0%7C0%7C637504584385536521%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=oi%2FP56NX%2BshIbxpuLqrPPWGxRrX6CiAI93jz4FZq4Kk%3D&reserved=0>

Jennifer Brady

Library Manager

Whittier Primary School

1619 W. Fredonia Ave.

Peoria, Illinois 61606

309-672-6569

Currently Reading: I'm Still Here by Austin Channing Brown

________________________________

From: AISLE <aisle-bounces at list.railslibraries.info<mailto:aisle-bounces at list.railslibraries.info>> on behalf of Andrea Ross via AISLE <aisle at list.railslibraries.info<mailto:aisle at list.railslibraries.info>>
Sent: Thursday, March 4, 2021 10:30 AM
To: AISLE-Share: Association of Illinois School Library Educators discussion list <aisle at list.railslibraries.info<mailto:aisle at list.railslibraries.info>>
Cc: Andrea Ross <alross at saltcreek48.org<mailto:alross at saltcreek48.org>>; Pres Elect <preselect at aisled.org<mailto:preselect at aisled.org>>
Subject: Re: [aisle] Dr. Seuss Controversy

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I'm in a discussion group with Seuss' biographer and here's a snippet of what he says on the topic. It made me feel a little better.

"Seuss and race are complicated, to be sure. His work can be racially insensitive, even as I don't believe Seuss himself was racist. But his white privilege definitely shows--he falls way too easily for stereotypes and tropes when it comes to drawing people/animals representing the foreign or exotic. It's on par with work from others at the time, but that doesn't make it any less jarring."

Andrea Ross

Salt Creek School, Elmhurst

On Thu, Mar 4, 2021 at 9:53 AM Pres Elect via AISLE <aisle at list.railslibraries.info<mailto:aisle at list.railslibraries.info>> wrote:

Thank You!  You have given me great examples to share with Veronica,

Thank you again!

Mary Jo

On Thu, Mar 4, 2021 at 6:59 AM Kelley Roganowicz <roganok at rps205.com<mailto:roganok at rps205.com>> wrote:

I haven't been asked to remove them. I work in a dual-language building, and his books are extremely popular. I have a display of them on top of my picture book shelves, and my kindergarten and first grade students have been checking them out all week.

Kelley Roganowicz

Teacher/Librarian

roganok at rps205.com<mailto:roganok at rps205.com>

Two-Way Language Immersion at Barbour

815-490-4100

Cisco: 22005

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________________________________

From: AISLE <aisle-bounces at list.railslibraries.info<mailto:aisle-bounces at list.railslibraries.info>> on behalf of Pres Elect via AISLE <aisle at list.railslibraries.info<mailto:aisle at list.railslibraries.info>>
Sent: Wednesday, March 3, 2021 9:02 PM
To: aisle at list.railslibraries.info<mailto:aisle at list.railslibraries.info> <aisle at list.railslibraries.info<mailto:aisle at list.railslibraries.info>>
Cc: Pres Elect <preselect at aisled.org<mailto:preselect at aisled.org>>
Subject: [aisle] Dr. Seuss Controversy

The President (Veronica Defazio )of Illinois Library Association is being interviewed about the controversy with Dr Seuss?  With six of his books not being published because of racism. Here is a

Warning! This message was sent from outside of RPS205 and we were unable to verify the sender. THIS SENDER IS UNTRUSTED!

sophospsmartbannerend

The President (Veronica Defazio )of Illinois Library Association is being interviewed about the controversy with Dr Seuss?  With six of his books not being published because of racism.

Here is a news account about the issue

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/02/books/dr-seuss-mulberry-street.amp.html<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fus-east-2.protection.sophos.com%2F%3Fd%3Dnytimes.com%26u%3DaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS8wMy8wMi9ib29rcy9kci1zZXVzcy1tdWxiZXJyeS1zdHJlZXQuYW1wLmh0bWw%3D%26i%3DNWJmNDJmMTFkNGQ5ZGYxNmQ1YTI0OWQy%26t%3DWENhZ2MxK2ljcVpoaWtQZTViRXlZcVRreFRuM2VTbHlOL3NoeHkvNUE4TT0%3D%26h%3D6677100c0c7d439692f1447f99754afd&data=04%7C01%7Cjennifer.brady%40psd150.org%7C3dc66a80334344761fd608d8df2adc42%7C90592b52d760466fbb253098a7cf80e0%7C0%7C0%7C637504722482826726%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=3LYMj9pofK9X23Shn5ocd0XxEew4u52hkctujkkRSGQ%3D&reserved=0>

Veronica reached out to me to get info about schools.

My question is have you been asked to remove them or anything else.

I would like to Veronica information from the school side.

Thank you

Mary Jo Matousek

President Elect AISLE

Preselect at aisled.org<mailto:Preselect at aisled.org>

--

Mary Jo Matousek

AISLE President-Elect 2020-2021

Preselect at Aisled.org<mailto:Preselect at Aisled.org>

630-254-7770

Member of REAL(Real Active Energetic Librarian) Chapter

[https://drive.google.com/a/aisled.org/uc?id=1y68uzhGwrjlrkCNehgE48LV4xyMq_4xg&export=download]

--

Mary Jo Matousek

AISLE President-Elect 2020-2021

Preselect at Aisled.org<mailto:Preselect at Aisled.org>

630-254-7770

Member of REAL(Real Active Energetic Librarian) Chapter

[https://drive.google.com/a/aisled.org/uc?id=1y68uzhGwrjlrkCNehgE48LV4xyMq_4xg&export=download]

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