NEW YORK —  Six children’s books written decades ago by Dr. Seuss were pulled from publication because they contain racist and insensitive imagery, the company formed to preserve the deceased author’s legacy said on Tuesday.

The books —  And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, If I Ran the Zoo, McElligot’s Pool, On Beyond Zebra!, Scrambled Eggs Super!, and The Cat’s Quizzer —  are among more than 60 classics written by Dr. Seuss, the pen name of the American writer and illustrator Theodor Geisel, who died in 1991.

“These books portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong,” Dr. Seuss Enterprises said in a statement explaining why it was stopping their publication.

The books, originally published between 1937 and 1976, contain numerous caricatures of Asian and Black people that incorporate stereotypes that have been criticized as racist.

The most famous Dr. Seuss titles —  The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham —  were not on the list of books that will be yanked from publication. Oh, the Places You’ll Go! often tops the New York Times bestseller list during graduation season, and also was not on the list of scrapped books.

The controversy over Dr. Seuss imagery has simmered for years.  Dr. Seuss Enterprises said it worked with a panel of experts, including educators, to review its catalog and made the decision last year to end publication and licensing. Among the publishers are Random House and Vanguard Press.

The company said the move was a first step in its efforts to promote inclusion for all children. “Ceasing sales of these books is only part of our commitment and our broader plan to ensure Dr. Seuss Enterprises’ catalog represents and supports all communities and families,” the company said.

On eBay, some of the discontinued titles surged in value on Tuesday. A copy of If I Ran the Zoo, with a starting price of $48 in the morning, was commanding a bid of $410 within an hour.

Philip Nel, a children’s literature scholar at Kansas State University, likened the decision to stop publication to the recall of an outdated, dangerous product. “In the 1950s, cars did not have seat belts. Now, we recognize that as dangerous —  so, cars have seat belts. In the 1950s, lots of books recycled racist caricature. Now, Random House is recognizing this as dangerous,” Mr. Nel said.

Mr. Nel said the author, who also wrote The Sneetches, a parable about discrimination and racial intolerance, wasn’t conscious of how racism influenced his visual imagination. “At the same time he’s writing books that attempt to oppose discrimination … he’s also recycling stereotypes in other books.”

Dr. Seuss Enterprises made the announcement on Mar. 2, the anniversary of Mr. Geisel’s birth in 1904. In 1998, the National Education Association designated his birthday as Read Across America Day, an annual event aimed at encouraging children and teens to read. —  Reuters

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