House Republican Tweets Barack Obama Praise of Dr. Seuss, Photo of Himself Reading to Kids

Republican Congressman Brian Mast has quoted former President Barack Obama in defense of the late children's author Dr. Seuss as controversy continues about his legacy.

Mast, who represents Florida's 18th congressional district, shared a photo of himself on Twitter reading one of Dr. Seuss' books to his young children on the floor of a bedroom.

"The works of Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known to us as Dr. Seuss, have sparked a love for reading in generations of students. His whimsical wordplay and curious characters inspire children to dream big," Mast wrote, tagging the former president.

The quote comes from Obama's 2015 Read Across America Day proclamation.

Obama offered similar praise in his 2014 proclamation, saying: "Countless Americans can recall his books as their first step into the lands of letters and wordplay. With creatures, contraptions, and vibrant characters, they have led generations of happy travelers through voyages of the imagination."

Established by National Education Association in 1998, the event falls on Geisel's birthday and has typically been closely linked with celebrations of him and his books.

However, in recent years Read Across America Day has moved away from an emphasis on Geisel because some of his works featured racially insensitive depictions, especially of Asian and Black people.

Conservatives—including elected Republicans—have recently weighed into the debate about Geisel's legacy and accused some on the left of trying to "cancel" the popular author.

The controversy about Geisel and so-called "cancel culture" appears to stem in part from rumors that public schools in Loudoun County, Virginia were banning Geisel's books outright. This was not the case and the schools publicly refuted the claim.

Dr. Seuss Enterprises, the company that manages Geisel's legacy, has also announced it will cease publication of six lesser-known books by the author because of their insensitive depictions.

The books in question are If I Ran the Zoo, Scrambled Eggs Super, McElligot's Pool, And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street, The Cat's Quizzer and On Beyond Zebra!

"These books portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong," Dr. Seuss Enterprises said in a statement. "Ceasing sales of these books is only part of our commitment and our broader plan to ensure Dr. Seuss Enterprises' catalog represents and supports all communities and families."

"Dr. Seuss Enterprises listened and took feedback from our audiences including teachers, academics and specialists in the field as part of our review process. We then worked with a panel of experts, including educators, to review our catalog of titles."

In Mast's photo, he can be seen reading Oh, the Places You'll Go!, a famous work by Geisel that has not been subject to recent criticism.