NEW YORK (AP) — A graphic novel for children from the wildly popular "Captain Underpants"
series is being pulled from library and book store shelves after its publisher said it "perpetuates
passive racism."
The book under scrutiny is 2010’s "The Adventures of Ook and Gluk" by Dav Pilkey, who has
apologized, saying it "contains harmful racial stereotypes" and is "wrong and harmful to
my Asian readers."
The 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.
Scholastic said it had removed the book from its websites, stopped processing orders for it and sought a
return of all inventory. "We will take steps to inform schools and libraries who may still have
this title in circulation of our decision to withdraw it from publication," the publisher said in a
statement.
Pilkey in a YouTube statement said he planned to donate his advance and all royalties from the book’s
sales to groups dedicated to stopping violence against Asians and to promoting diversity in children’s
books and publishing.
"I hope that 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 pledge
to do better."
The decision 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."