On Beyond Zebra! facts for kids
 |
|
| Author | Dr. Seuss |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's literature |
| Publisher | Random House |
|
Publication date
|
1955 (renewed 1983) |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover and paperback) |
| OCLC | 7715159 |
| Preceded by | Horton Hears a Who! |
| Followed by | If I Ran the Circus |
On Beyond Zebra! is a popular children's book written and illustrated by Theodor Geisel, who is better known as Dr. Seuss. This book, published in 1955, is a special kind of alphabet book. Instead of just showing the usual 26 letters from A to Z, Dr. Seuss imagined 20 brand new letters that come after Z!
What's the Story About?
The story is told by a young narrator who thinks the regular English alphabet isn't enough. He believes there are many more letters beyond Z. For each new letter, he introduces a fantastic and silly creature.
For example, one new letter is "FLOOB." This letter is the first letter in the name of a creature called Floob-Boober-Bab-Boober-Bubs. These creatures have big, bouncy heads and float calmly in the water.
Some of the other fun letters and their creatures include:
- YUZZ (Yuzz-a-ma-Tuzz)
- WUM (Wumbus)
- HUMPF (Humpf-Humpf-a-Dumpfer)
- FUDDLE (Miss Fuddle-dee-Duddle)
- GLIKK (Glikker)
- SNEE (Sneedle)
- FLOOB (Floob-Boober-Bab-Boober-Bubs)
- JOGG (Jogg-oons)
- ITCH (Itch-a-pods)
The book ends with a very complicated unnamed letter. A full list of all the new letters is shown at the very end of the book.
Where Else Can You See These Creatures?
Some of the unique animals from On Beyond Zebra! also appeared in a TV special. This was the 1975 CBS show called The Hoober-Bloob Highway. In this special, Mr. Hoober-Bloob shows different kinds of animals to baby Hoober-Bloobs.
These animals included some from On Beyond Zebra! and another Dr. Seuss book, If I Ran the Zoo (1950). You might spot creatures like a Jogg-oon, a Sneedle, a Zatz-it, a Wumbus, and a Yekko in the TV special.
The book itself has been printed a few times over the years. It was first published in 1955. Later editions came out in 1983 and 1999 in America. A British version was published in 2012.
Why Was This Book Removed from Sale?
On March 2, 2021, the company that owns the rights to Dr. Seuss's books, Dr. Seuss Enterprises, decided to stop publishing On Beyond Zebra! and five other books. This decision was made because some of the pictures in these books were seen as not fitting for today's world. They felt some images might be hurtful or wrong.
In On Beyond Zebra!, there is a character named “Nazzim of Bazzim.” Nazzim's background is not clearly stated. He rides a fantasy creature called a "Spazzim," which looks a bit like a camel.
Some people have discussed why this image might be seen as a problem. The Vancouver Sun newspaper said that the "problematic imagery" in this book was probably the least obvious compared to the other five books that were stopped from being published.
An article in the National Review described Nazzim as "a proud-looking camel-riding Arab nobleman." The author of that article, Kyle Smith, suggested that only someone "hypersensitive" would find this image offensive. He also noted that Dr. Seuss books, in general, have been criticized for showing mostly white people. They have also been criticized for showing non-white people in a "blithe comical sensibility," meaning in a lighthearted or funny way that might not be respectful.
Another article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette described Nazzim as a "vaguely Arab-looking character." The author, Dan McLaughlin, pointed out that Nazzim appears on only one page of the book. McLaughlin also mentioned that Dr. Seuss's books have been criticized for having too few non-white characters. He found it interesting that the books featuring non-white characters were the ones removed from publication. He commented on the situation by saying, "Damned if you do, damned if you don’t." He agreed that Nazzim's picture is a general stereotype of a foreign culture. However, he argued that showing different cultures is important for children to learn that people around the world have "different ways of life."
An article from Distractify also noted that Nazzim "is a man who appears to be of Middle Eastern descent," and that the animal he rides looks like a camel.
