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A children’s graphic novel in the hugely popular “Captain Underpants” series has hit library and bookstore shelves after its publisher said it “perpetuates passive racism.”
NEW YORK – A children’s graphic novel in the hugely popular “Captain Underpants” series has hit library and bookstore shelves after its publisher said it “perpetuates passive racism.”
The book reviewed is “The Adventures of Ook and Gluk” from 2010 by Dav Pilkey, who apologized, saying that it “contains harmful racial stereotypes” and is “false and harmful to my Asian readers” .
The book follows a pair of friends who travel from 500,001 BC to 2222, where they meet a martial arts instructor who teaches them kung fu and learn the principles of Chinese philosophy.
Scholastic said it removed the book from its websites, stopped processing orders for it, and requested the return of all inventory. “We will take steps to notify schools and libraries that may still have this title in circulation of our decision to remove it from publication,” the publisher said in a statement.
Pilkey, in a statement on YouTube, said he plans to donate his advance and all royalties from sales of the book to groups dedicated to stopping violence against Asians and promoting the diversity in children’s books and publishing.
“I hope you, my readers, will forgive me and learn from my mistake that even unintentional and passive stereotypes and racism are harmful to everyone,” he wrote. “I apologize and I promise to do better.”
The move comes amid a wave of high-profile and sometimes deadly violence against Asian Americans since the start of the pandemic.
Earlier this month, Dr Seuss’ estate said six of his books would no longer be published because they contained depictions of “hurtful and bogus” groups, including Asian Americans. The move prompted an immediate reaction on social media from those who called it yet another example of ‘canceling culture’.
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