Well now. Wonder what she would have said had Michelle Obama sent the very same books? Let me guess.
~~~What a wonderful gesture by the First Lady. Cambridgeport Elementary School salutes her for providing classic children's literature to our school for all to enjoy~~~
Thank You, Michelle Obama.
Soeiro in 2015
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Soeiro in 2015
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School librarian Liz Phipps Soeiro (pictured) rejected books donated by First Lady Melania Trump on Thursday
A librarian at a Massachusetts elementary school has declined nearly a dozen books donated by Melania Trump, calling them 'tired' and 'cliche.'
The White House earlier this month announced that one school from each state would receive a shipment of Dr. Seuss books as part of National Read a Book Day.
Along with the donation came a letter from the First Lady, which emphasized to students that receiving 'an education is perhaps the most important and wondrous opportunity of your young lives'.
'Remember,' the letter says, 'the key to achieving your dreams begins with learning to read. Find what you enjoy, anything that interests you, and read about it.'
'Never stop learning and challenging yourself, and never give up on your dreams,' the letter concludes.
But Cambridgeport Elementary School librarian Liz Phipps Soeiro, whose school represents Massachusetts in the initiative, said on Thursday that her award-winning library wasn't in need of the literature.
The First Lady's gesture was part of White House initiative dubbed 'National Read a Book Day' (Pictured: May 25, 2017)
'My students have access to a school library with over nine thousand volumes and a librarian with a graduate degree in library science,' Phipps Soeiro wrote in an open letter on the Horn Book blog website.
'Multiple studies show that schools with professionally staffed libraries improve student performance,' she added.
Phipps Soeiro also criticized the First Lady's choice in books, which included 'The Cat in the Hat,' 'One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish,' 'The Foot Book,' 'Green Eggs and Ham' and 'Oh, the Places You'll Go!,' CBS Boston reported.
'You may not be aware of this, but Dr. Seuss is a bit of a cliché, a tired and worn ambassador for children's literature. As First Lady of the United States, you have an incredible platform with world-class resources at your fingertips,' she wrote.
The elementary school employee also took a jab at the Trump administration's education policy, specifically striking out against Betsy DaVos.
'Why not go out of your way to gift books to underfunded and underprivileged communities that continue to be marginalized and maligned by policies put in place by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos?' she wrote.
Phipps Soeiro continues by claiming that 'cities like Philadelphia, Chicago, and Detroit are suffering through expansion privatization, and school "choice" with no interest in outcomes of children, their families, their teachers and their schools.'
She then asks: 'Are those kids any less deserving of books simply because of circumstances beyond their control?'
The White House later responded to Soeiro's remarks in a statement to NBC Boston.
'Mrs. Trump intends to use her platform as First Lady to help as many children as she can,' said Stephanie Grisham, the first lady's communications director.
'She has demonstrated this in both actions and words since her husband took office, and sending books to schools across the country is but one example.
'Turning the gesture of sending young school children books into something divisive is unfortunate, but the First Lady remains committed to her efforts on behalf of children everywhere.'
The school district later said that Phipps Soeiro 'was not authorized to accept or reject donated books on behalf of the school or school district,' adding that her opinions do not reflect that of the school system.
'We have counseled the employee on all relevant policies, including the policy against public resources being used for political purposes,' the district wrote in a statement.
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