'Racist' Dr. Seuss Books From Melania Trump Rejected By Librarian

CAMBRIDGE, MA — Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno fired back at a Cambridge Public Schools librarian, Liz Phipps Soeiro, who said she wouldn't accept books donated by First Lady Melania Trump. The librarian said she was refusing to keep such old favorites as, "The Cat in the Hat" and "Oh The Places You'll Go," because of what she described as racist messages in the books.

On Friday, Sarno who is mayor of the hometown of the author of those books, said Soeiro had gone too far.

"'One fish - two fish - red fish - blue fish' - I think her comments 'stink' and are ridiculous towards our beloved Dr. Seuss," he said. "Her comments that this is 'racist propaganda and that Dr. Seuss is a bit of a cliche and a tired and worn ambassador for children's literature' is 'political correctness' at its worst."

Watch: A Librarian Rejected Dr. Seuss Books Melania Trump Donated

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Cambridgeport Elementary was one of 50 schools to receive 10 books from the Trump administration in recognition of this year’s National Read a Book Day.

In an open letter on the book review site, Horn Book, Soeiro explained that her school already has thousands of books and noted there were schools in greater need of the donation.

In the post, Soeiro also pointed out Dr. Seuss' controversial past and gave examples of what she meant by racist.

"Dr. Seuss’s illustrations are steeped in racist propaganda, caricatures, and harmful stereotypes," she said in her post asking anyone to open a book such as "If I Ran A Zoo" to see what she called "racist mockery" in his heart.

She referenced an article by Grace Hwang in the Lynch’s School Library Journal. Then she pointed to Scholar Philip Nel’s new book, "Was the Cat in the Hat Black? The Hidden Racism of Children’s Literature."

Dr. Seuss, real name Theodor Geisel, was born and raised in Springfield. The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum opened in the city earlier this year.

Sarno praised the first lady for the White House's donation — and extended an offer for her and President Donald Trump to visit Springfield.

"If Cambridge doesn't want the books, Springfield will take them," Sarno said.

Cambridge Public School spokesperson Rosalie Rippey said that while CPS supports their employees' right to voice their personal opinions, Soeiro’s letter wasn’t an official school position.

"Cambridge Public Schools supports the right of our employees to voice their personal opinions. The opinions expressed in the Horn Book editorial were those of the writer, and not a statement on behalf of Cambridge Public Schools. This was not a formal acceptance or rejection of donated books, but a statement of opinion on the meaning of the donation," she said.

Rippey said CPS has counseled the employee on all relevant policies, including donations policies and the policy against public resources being used for political purposes.

“While we enthusiastically support the political engagement and passion of our employees, in this instance the editorial posted online gave the impression that the statement reflected the position or actions of the Cambridge Public Schools,” Rippey wrote on Friday. “Our school district did not authorize any such statement.”

You can read Soeiro's entire letter here.

A MassLive Video of the Springfield Mayor:

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz also weighed in:

.@FLOTUS Thanks Melania for your graciousness. Why on earth do Democrats hate Green Eggs and Ham? https://t.co/pKLyxgkySK
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) September 29, 2017

Joe Raedle/Getty Images News/Getty Images