Pilkey confirmed these plans in an apology released over the weekend, after Scholastic pulled his 2010 graphic novel, The Adventures of Ook and Gluk—part of the Captain Underpants franchise—from circulation because it “perpetuates passive racism.”
As Pilkey noted in his public apology, the book “contains harmful racial stereotypes and passively racist imagery.” The author will donate his advance and royalties received through sale of the book “to charities that provide free books, art supplies, and theater for children in underserved communities; organizations that promote diversity in children’s books and publishing; and organizations designed to stop Asian hatred.”
Scholastic announced its decision to cancel further publication of Pilkey’s latest Captain Underpants installment, and to collect all copies already in circulation, in a statement issued this past Friday. The publisher pulled Pilkey’s novel with the author’s “full support,” according to Scholastic.
“Together, we recognize that this book perpetuates passive racism. We are deeply sorry for this serious mistake,” the statement read. “Scholastic has removed the book from our websites, stopped fulfillment of any orders (domestically or abroad), contacted our retail partners to explain why this book is no longer available, and sought a return of all inventory.”
The publisher will coordinate with school and library administrators to identify copies that may be in their possession, in an effort to return those that were previously purchased and distributed.
For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below:
Pilkey’s book follows about a pair of friends who travel from 500,001 B.C. to 2222, where they meet a martial arts instructor who teaches them kung fu and they learn principles found in Chinese philosophy.
The decision to pull the book from library and bookstore shelves comes amid a wave of high-profile and sometimes deadly violence against Asian Americans since the pandemic began.
Earlier this month, the estate of Dr. Seuss said six of his books would no longer be published because they contained depictions of groups that were “hurtful and wrong,” including Asian Americans. The move drew immediate reaction on social media from those who called it another example of “cancel culture.”
