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The recent furor over the problematic drawings contained in six Dr. Seuss books is not the first time that the works of the beloved children’s author have been a source of controversy.
In 1989, in the small town of Laytonville, Calif., a group of logging industry representatives and angry citizens demanded that the local school board remove The Lorax from classrooms. They felt the book painted the logging industry in a bad light and was “brainwashing” young children. The dispute attracted national media attention, but, in the end, the book stayed in the schools. The damage done by industry seen trying to ban a children’s book was probably worse than anything conveyed by the book itself.