A mural depicting Theodor Geisel's "And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street" will be removed from The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum in Springfield after complaints that it included a "jarring racial stereotype."

The decision came hours after a trio of children's authors declined to take part in the Springfield Children's Literature Festival because of the mural, which they described as "deeply hurtful."

A statement issued by the Springfield Museums on behalf of Dr. Seuss Enterprises on Thursday night stated that the Mulberry Street mural will be replaced "with a new image that reflects the wonderful characters and messages from Dr. Seuss's later works."

"This is what Dr. Seuss would have wanted us to do," according to the statement. "His later books, like 'The Sneetches' and 'Horton Hears a Who,' showed a great respect for fairness and diversity. Dr. Seuss would have loved to be a part of this dialogue for change."

When the mural will be removed and what characters will be featured in its place was not revealed.

The full statement read:

Theodor Seuss Geisel wrote under the pen name Dr. Seuss during his lifetime from 1904 - 1991. Dr. Seuss created an enormous body of work including children's books and political cartoons. Dr. Seuss was a man of his times. He was also a man who evolved with his times. Dr. Seuss's own story is a story of growth with some early works containing hurtful stereotypes to later works like The Sneetches and Horton Hears a Who! which contain lessons of tolerance and inclusion.

It is in that spirit that Dr. Seuss Enterprises and the Springfield Museums listened to the concerns voiced by the authors and fans and have made the decision to take down the Mulberry street mural at the Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum and replace it with a new image that reflects the wonderful characters and messages from Dr. Seuss's later works. This is what Dr. Seuss would have wanted us to do. His later books, like The Sneetches and Horton Hears a Who, showed a great respect for fairness and diversity. Dr. Seuss would have loved to be a part of this dialogue for change. In fact, Ted Geisel himself said, "It's not how you start that counts. It's what you are at the finish."

The artwork appeared in Theodor Geisel's first Dr. Seuss book, "And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street," which was published in 1937.

Authors Mo Willems, Mike Curato and Lisa Yee of Northampton, who signed the letter and posted it on social media, said they found part of the mural "deeply hurtful" and would not attend the Oct. 14 event. (The festival has since been canceled.)

"... we recently learned that a key component of this institution honoring Dr. Seuss features a mural depicting a scene from his first book, 'And to Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street,' and within the selected arts is a jarring racial stereotype of a Chinese man, who is depicted with chopsticks, a pointed hat, and slanted slit eyes. We find this caricature of 'the Chinaman' deeply hurtful, and have concerns about children's exposure to it."

The character is described by Seuss in the 1937 book as "a Chinese man who eats with sticks."

Springfield Museums officials said they offered to meet with Willems, Curato and Yee, but they declined.

In a letter to the authors, Springfield Museums President Kay Simpson wrote, "As a museum, we do not alter or edit an artist's work."

Last week, Cambridge Public Schools Librarian Liz Phipps Soiero turned down a gift of Dr. Seuss books from First Lady Melania Trump for National Read a Book Day. She stated that "Dr. Seuss's illustrations are steeped in racist propaganda, caricatures, and harmful stereotypes."