--- description: The librarian Dr. Seuss "a bit of a cliche," writing the late author's illustrations are "steeped in racist propaganda." title: Melania Trump Donated Books to a School. Why the Librarian Sent Them Back image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3afa620789af1113/6988dff7096a946c7f69fcba/gettyimages-855396016.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Melania Trump Tried to Donate Books to a School. Here's Why the Librarian Sent Them Back by [Ashley Hoffman](/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 29, 2017 4:12 PM CUT  WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 28: First lady Melania Trump, flanked by Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway, speaks during an Opioid roundtable discussion held in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, DC on Thursday, Sept 28, 2017\. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images) WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 28: First lady Melania Trump, flanked by Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway, speaks during an Opioid roundtable discussion held in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, DC on Thursday, Sept 28, 2017\. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)The Washington Post—The Washington Post/Getty Images by [Ashley Hoffman](/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 29, 2017 4:12 PM CUT 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/ "undefined") 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/ "undefined") 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 "undefined"), there were schools that needed [books](http://time.com/4941811/hobbit-anniversary-1937-reviews/ "undefined") 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/ "undefined") --- > “” --- ```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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