HILLEL ITALIE, AP National Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Scholastic is pulling a controversial new picture book about George Washington and his slaves, the publisher tells The Associated Press.

“A Birthday Cake for George Washington” was released Jan. 5 and had been strongly criticized for its upbeat images and story of Washington’s cook, the slave Hercules. Its withdrawal was announced Sunday.

The book had received more than 100 one-star reviews on Amazon.com and the trade publication School Library Journal had called it “highly problematic” and recommended against its purchase.

“A Birthday Cake” was written by Ramin Ganeshram, whose previous works include the novel “Stir It Up” and the nonfiction “FutureChefs.” Vanessa Brantley Newton’s is the illustrator.

In a Scholastic blog post, Ganeshram had written that the story was based on historical research and meant to honor the slaves’ resourcefulness.