Biden drops mention of Dr. Seuss from annual Read Across America Day proclamation

President Biden did not mention Dr. Seuss in his proclamation for Read Across America Day on Tuesday, a National Education Association-sponsored event that coincides with the children’s author’s birthday.

Former Presidents Obama and Trump both mentioned the writer, born Theodor Geisel, in their respective proclamations, with Obama's 2014 proclamation praising him for calling "us to open our minds, to take responsibility for ourselves and our planet."

White House press secretary Jen Psaki referred questions at a Tuesday briefing about the specific text of the proclamation to the Department of Education, which she said was responsible for writing it, but said generally that it is "important that children of all backgrounds see themselves in the children’s books that they read."

The teachers union, which has put on the event since 1998, had partnered with Dr. Seuss Enterprises, the company that publishes his books and manages his estate, until 2018.

Meanwhile, Dr. Seuss Enterprises announced on Tuesday that it will no longer publish six of the author’s 46 children’s books, including his first, “And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street,” over their racist imagery and offensive language.

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