--- title: Melania Trump Dr. Seuss Book Donations Rejected by School description: The librarian Dr. Seuss "a bit of a cliche," writing the late author's illustrations are "steeped in racist propaganda." canonical: https://time.com/4962801/melania-trump-dr-seuss-books/ author: Ashley Hoffman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-09-29T16:12:53.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-08T09:54:25.708Z og:title: Melania Trump Donated Books to a School. Why the Librarian Sent Them Back og:description: The First Lady's choice was "a bit of a cliche" og:url: https://time.com/4962801/melania-trump-dr-seuss-books/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3afa620789af1113/6988dff7096a946c7f69fcba/gettyimages-855396016.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4974 og:image:height: 2798 og:image:alt: President Donald Trump og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Melania Trump Donated Books to a School. Why the Librarian Sent Them Back twitter:description: The First Lady's choice was "a bit of a cliche" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3afa620789af1113/6988dff7096a946c7f69fcba/gettyimages-855396016.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Melania Trump Tried to Donate Books to a School. Here's Why the Librarian Sent Them Back > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=9f6418ca-e0bc-498d-b1c9-2496c4195caa&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: First Lady Melania Trump Speaks about Caring for Children at the United Nations [Watch (HLS stream): First Lady Melania Trump Speaks about Caring for Children at the United Nations](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/0Ht98w9Y.m3u8) (1:37)  _Published 2017-09-21. First Lady Melania Trump Speaks about Caring for Children at the United Nations_ by [Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Sep 29, 2017 4:12 PM UTC First Lady Melania Trump Speaks about Caring for Children at the United Nations by [Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Sep 29, 2017 4:12 PM UTC A school librarian has kicked the First Lady out. Just like Sam from _Green Eggs and Ham_ before her, Boston school librarian Liz Phipps Soeiro took one look at the Dr. Seuss books [Melania Trump](http://time.com/melania-trump-inauguration-model-first-lady/) donated to her school, and decided she “would not like them here or there.” The First Lady’s office declared on Sept. 6 that Trump would donate [Dr. Seuss books](http://time.com/3978547/dr-seuss-social-justice-commitment/) to schools across America that had been recognized for education excellence to celebrate National Read a Book day. Cambridgeport Elementary School was on the list, but the book slinger in charge there took issue with the gesture for two reasons — she didn’t need free books, and they weren’t right. As Liz Phipps Soeiro put it in a [a blog post](http://www.hbook.com/2017/09/blogs/family-reading/dear-mrs-trump/#%5F), there were schools that needed [books](http://time.com/4941811/hobbit-anniversary-1937-reviews/) and hers wasn’t one of them: --- > “” --- There was more. Soeiro also wrote she found Dr. Seuss “a bit of a cliche,” writing the late author’s illustrations are “steeped in racist propaganda, caricatures, and harmful stereotypes.” She then drove home her point recommending stories she said illustrate the Trump Administration’s impact on children like _Mama’s Nightingale: A Story of Immigration and Separation_, and _Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation_ instead of _The Cat in the Hat_ and _Oh the Places You Will Go_. She even issued a plea for the First Lady and the President. “You and your husband have a direct impact on these children’s lives. Please make time to learn about and value them,” Soeiro wrote. In response, [The First Lady’s office said that the librarian’s decision was “unfortunate”:](http://fortune.com/2017/09/28/melania-trump-books-rejection/) --- > “” --- ## Transcript [00:00] By our own example, we must teach children to be [00:03] good stewards of the world they will inherit. We [00:07] must remember that they're watching and listening, so [00:11] we must never miss an opportunity to teach life's many [00:16] ethical lessons along the way. As adults, we [00:20] are not merely responsible. We are accountable. We [00:25] must turn our focus right now to the message and [00:29] content they're exposed to one a daily basis through [00:33] the social media. The bullying, the experience online [00:37] and in person. And the global epidemic of [00:41] drug addiction and drug overdose. Together we [00:45] must acknowledge that all too [00:50] often is the weakest, most innocent and vulnerable [00:52] among us, our children, who ultimately suffer the [00:56] most from the challenges that plague Our [01:00] societies whether it is drug addiction would [01:05] link poverty, disease, trafficking, [01:10] illiteracy or hunger, It is the children are hit first [01:15] and hardest in any country. And as we [01:19] all know the future of all nations rests with the [01:23] promise of their young people, if [01:27] you look at the present state of children in any society, [01:32] we would see the future that our world can [01:36] expect tomorrow ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4962801/melania-trump-dr-seuss-books/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4962801/melania-trump-dr-seuss-books/"},"headline":"Melania Trump Tried to Donate Books to a School. 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