An elementary school librarian in Cambridge, Massachusetts, attempted to reject a donation of Dr. Seuss books from first lady Melania Trump this month because the librarian didn’t like the politics of President Donald Trump. The woman wrote a scathing, politics-fueled letter that was published in The Horn Book, a publication devoted to children’s literature topics.

It turns out that “Liz the Librarian,” however — a librarian named Liz Phipps Soeiro at the Cambridgeport Elementary School — was not authorized to accept or reject the gift to the school. A statement from the district notes its employee has been “counseled” against “public resources being used for political purposes.”

The first lady graciously sent the gift of 10 Dr. Seuss titles in celebration of Read Across America Day earlier this month. One school in each state was chosen for the honor; the schools were those the Department of Education had identified as achieving “high standards of excellence, recognized by State and National awards and Blue Ribbon Awards.”

The librarian said, in part, that the gift books were “steeped in racist propaganda, caricatures, and harmful stereotypes.”

Melania Trump issued a statement about the librarian’s behavior, telling The Hill, in part, “To turn the gesture of sending young students some books into something divisive is unfortunate.”

These are the 10 titles included in the book package sent graciously from Melania Trump to the school:

  • “Seuss-isms!”
  • “Because a Little Bug Went KaChoo”
  • “What Pet Should I Get?”
  • “The Cat in the Hat”
  • “I Can Read with My Eyes Shut!”
  • “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish”
  • “The Foot Book”
  • “Wacky Wednesday”
  • “Green Eggs and Ham”
  • “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!”

The package also contained specialized bookplates from the White House — and a letter to the students from Mrs. Trump dated September 1. The thoughtful letter encouraged students to “never stop learning” and reminded them that “the key to achieving your dreams begins with learning to read.”

In her letter to the first lady entitled “Dear Mrs. Trump,” however, Soeiro detailed a number of objections to President Trump’s policies as well as those of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. Soeiro also expounded on her concerns with the first lady’s criteria for choosing recipient schools.

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Curiously, though, Soeiro’s letter chastised Mrs. Trump for choosing high-performing schools to receive the gift packages rather than financially struggling schools; she pointed out (multiple times) that her students include many who are impoverished. She noted, for example, that about 60 percent of students from the Cambridgeport School receive free or reduced price lunches.

She even suggested the first lady should accept a list of diverse picture books instead.

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In her published diatribe against the first lady, the librarian objected to shelving Dr. Seuss books. In her letter, she even cited Dr. Seuss as “a bit of a cliché and a tired and worn ambassador for children’s literature.”

She berated the beloved author’s illustrations and artistic renderings and even suggested the first lady should accept Soeiro’s included list of diverse picture books instead.

Interestingly, despite the librarian’s objection to Seuss as a “racist” author, Cambridgeport’s library includes 19 Seuss titles. Among them are several the first lady included in her gift. This library’s collection contains two copies, for example, of “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!”

Related: How Parents Can Combat Liberal Bias in Schools

In her letter, Mrs. Trump pointed out that this book in particular was one she enjoyed reading with her son. Apparently, the patrons of Cambridgeport’s school library agree — the school’s two copies were checked out at the time of publication.

Soeiro’s “Dear Mrs. Trump” post to her blog in The Horn Book appeared September 26. Just a month earlier, The Horn Book’s sister publication, School Library Journal (SLJ), honored Soeiro as its “2017 Hero of Family Outreach,” citing her “commitment to social justice.” The publication specifically lauded her  “Coffee and Conversations” program at the public school.

One such program took place immediately following President Trump’s executive order temporarily suspending travel to several countries. The program included a CAIR representative and an attorney from the Muslim Justice League, who met with local Muslim families to discuss their rights.

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The executive editor of The Horn Book, Elissa Gershowitz, described Soeiro as “a true linchpin of the school community, with a warm and respectful welcome for every child, family member, caretaker, and educator who comes through the library.” Gershowitz’s son attends Cambridgesport school.

Interesting side note: An existing photograph of a broadly smiling Soiero shows her in her library, where she is apparently hosting a “Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss” event for young patrons (tweet is shown above). In the 2015 photo, Soeiro is dressed in quintessential Dr. Seuss garb — holding a copy of “Green Eggs and Ham” in one hand and a “Cat in the Hat” stuffed animal in the other.

Soeiro still tweets on behalf of the school using the handle @Cport_Special. Tweeted replies to her about her letter to the first lady and the attempted rejection of the gift books include this comment: “This woman should be fired … Unacceptable,” from @Duane1968. And one commenter on The Horn Book said, “Slapping the face of a gift-giver, in my part of the country, is considered rude.”

(photo credit, homepage and article images of books: Vivid Image, Flickr / Jengod)