Dr. Seuss’ books are taking over Amazon’s bestseller list

Dr. Seuss’ books are taking over Amazon’s bestseller list

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This week, Dr. Seuss Enterprises announced that six books written by the children’s author will no longer be published because of the “painful and wrong” ways in which the colored characters are portrayed.

Now, Dr. Seuss’s books have risen to the top of Amazon’s bestseller list, occupying nine of the top ten best-selling books on the market.

No. 1? “The cat in the hat”, followed by “One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish” and “Oh, the places you will go!”

None of the discontinued books appears on Amazon’s list. So, where did they go?

First, in the hands of the fans

The six books – “And to think I saw Mulberry Street”, “If I ran the zoo”, “McElligot’s pool”, “Beyond the zebra!”, “Super scrambled eggs!” And “The Cat’s Quizzer” – sold out quickly in bookstores like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Libraries are opposed to censorship. So, they're getting creative when it comes to offensive children's books

Although Dr. Seuss Enterprises has not announced the discontinuation of any other books, fans and collectors appear to be fueling themselves as a precaution.

And it’s not costing them much. “Green eggs and ham”, for example, sells for less than $ 5 on Amazon.

Dr. Seuss’ books currently represent about half of Amazon’s 50 best-selling books.

So, to the corners of the Internet

On eBay, the books are selling for $ 4,000.

On Amazon, copies of “If I Ran the Zoo” start at $ 939 and go up to $ 5,000.

“The Cat’s Quizzer” can be yours for $ 875 – or $ 1,600, if you can handle a book cover with “very modest friction”.

An eBay listing – five of the six discontinued books for $ 2,500 – averages 63 views per hour.

Discontinued books became rare collection items almost instantly, simultaneously generating controversy over the company’s decision to end publication.

The books portray harmful stereotypes

Discontinued books are not exactly anomalies in Dr. Seuss’ career.
Since his days at Dartmouth College, he had been producing racist and anti-Semitic works. Drawing black boxers like gorillas and leaning towards harmful Jewish stereotypes, Dr. Seuss’s history of damage is longer than some might think.
In a 2019 study, researchers found that out of 50 books, almost all of the colored characters had Orientalist characteristics – that is, offensive representations of Asian and Asian characters.
6 Dr. Seuss' books will no longer be published because they portray people in 'painful and wrong' ways

Dr. Seuss Enterprises wrote in a statement that he worked with a panel of experts, including educators, to review the author’s titles and decide on the discontinuation.

“Ceasing sales of these books is only part of our commitment and our broader plan to ensure that the Dr. Seuss Enterprises catalog represents and supports all communities and families,” wrote the company.

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