Was the Cat in the Hat Black? Addresses the idea of racial diversity in children's books by asking a rhetorical question in its title. It is typically assumed that The Cat in the Hat is not black, as the book features primarily white characters, and was written in a time when racism was still prevalent. Despite changing racial attitudes, classic books such as The Cat in the Hat remain widely popular among all ethnic groups. Philip Nel addresses this and more in his book.
Nel begins by describing the biography of Theodore Seuss Geisel, more commonly known to children and adults alike as Dr. Seuss. This loving and comical man is known for dozens of cartoon style children's books, and has received many awards in authoring and illustration. However, it is important to remember that Seuss was born in 1904, a year closer to the failed attempt at Southern Reconstruction than to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's.
Seuss was deeply influenced by books he read as a child, including the then children's classic The Hole Book. The book depicted the journey of a bullet (also something deeply influenced by American culture, as in the Wild West) through the book. The book included highly racist scenes of a black woman and her children, who were all illiterate and talked with heavy accents. It is important to remember, Nel points out, that Seuss grew up in a time that this behavior was normalized.
So what about The Cat in the Hat himself? Nel does not specifically address the topic for very long, but points out that it is racism that has caused most people to assume that characters such as this are more "white" in nature, and that something should be done to change this attitude. Children start learning how to view the world at a very young age, and often this is done through books. Nel points out that it is important to include diversity in these books.
Some critics point out that Nel stereotypes white people in his work, which is exactly the opposite of what he is trying to accomplish by preventing stereotypicalization of storybook characters. However, he does include many generalizations that could be considered offensive to some. Despite the title, Nel does not spend much time focusing specifically on The Cat in the Hat, rather the idea of racism in children's books and what should be done to change it.
