The cat in the hat

by Dr. Seuss

Paper Book, 1957

Status

Available

Local notes

R Seu

Barcode

3040

Publication

Boston, Houghton Mifflin [1957]

Description

Two children sitting at home on a rainy day are visited by the Cat in the Hat who shows them some tricks and games.

Language

Original publication date

1957

Physical description

61 p.; 24 cm

Media reviews

the book
This story is about a brother and sister who became bored on a rainy day. Next thing they knew a cat in the hat shows up at their house and takes them on an adventure in their own house. I would use this book to inspire kids to step out of their box. This book is all about adventure and usage of
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your imagination. This book would connect with different students or different situations that students may be encountering like boredom and lack of imagination. Situations like rainy days or just boredom strikes; kids can remember this book and come up with fun things to do instead of allowing a dreary day affect their fun. That allows a transitional experience and I'm sure they will enjoy it.
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1 more
Courtney E. Mahr
This is classic book to be used in a lesson about rhyming. This is also a book to use in celebrating Dr. Seus Day!

User reviews

LibraryThing member MeditationesMartini
The thing is just how unlikeable the cat is--desperate to be the life of the party, living all over you, deaf in one ear at convenient moments, bloodshot eyes and too-loud jokes, fixin to put acid in the punchbowl and set fire to the yard and go "hey maaaan, why you being such a buzzkill?" And when
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the cops show up he's just "I can't handle this scene, man" and goes all to pieces and you have to deal with it. And he shatters like glass if you say a single unkind word. And if the kids had taken their eyes off his thugs, I mean things, for a moment you know their mother would have come home and found them both killed and eaten.

But then on the other hand there's the fish, who's just a prick and a half. And then you think about the affinity the hippies always had for this story and how it was written in 1957 and then it stares you in the face like the nexus of the culture wars--like, the place where the perennial folktale thread of fear that some prancy f*ck with subversive morals and filthy drawers will steal our children that goes back to the Pied Piper (and what the hell, Jesus) splits open and becomes full-on sixties/seventies "she's leaving home"/"don't tell mama, don't tell pa"/"let all the children boogie" children-of-the-psychedelic-corn stuff. And you think holy crap, the hippies must have been infuriating, but the only thing worse than a longhair is still the kind of guy who wants to beat a longhair's ass for being a sissy and listen to some goddamn Gene Pitney.

And Dr. Seuss kicked off the game by stealing their children when they were still in diapers. I admire that, but I am also glad in some ways to not have had to negotiate all that mess. Harshes my mellow just thinking about it.
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LibraryThing member Lakapp
“The Cat in the Hat” written by Dr. Seuss is a great story that will help children develop fluency and rhyming skills. Two children were sitting inside on a cold and rainy day trying to decide what to do, and the Cat in the Hat appeared. The Cat in the Hat wanted to play games with the
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children, but there mother wasn’t there so they didn’t know what to do. The Cat in the Hat did various funny things to try to entertain the children, and made a mess in the house. The children knew they weren’t supposed to have guests in the house, but allowed them in the house anyways. The children were very smart and cleaned the house before their mother returned, but wondered if they should tell their mother about their fun filled day. This book would be appropriate for Kindergarten to Second grade students
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LibraryThing member Mistin
This book would be great for kids in kindergarten. The book is about a boy and his sister named Sally. He and sally are bored on a rainy day...then along come the cat. The cat shows them endless possiblities of fun. I would love to get the students involved in a rhyming story, that also shares the
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message that fun isonly what you make it. This book is one of my favorite childhood storys!
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LibraryThing member shawjonathan
When Theodore Geisel came up with his distinctive style of verse in the 1950s, I don't imagine he thought it would be bringing joy to people with dementia half a century later. But surely he would preen just a little if he saw my partner reading this book to her mother, who has advanced
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Alzheimer's, doing the fish in different voices, and saw the unmitigated delight of her audience. Thrill to the anarchic energy of the cat, mock the prissy moralism of the fish, shake your head in mock seriousness at the ethical dilemma when Mother returns at the end! It's all there, using a minimal vocabulary, repeating the same words in different configurations so no one's powers are being taxed, and bouncing along with enough energy to enliven the weariest of brains
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LibraryThing member amanda_c
QUALITY:
This zany controlled-vocabulary reader is often hailed as the book that began the “controlled vocabulary” category.

POTENTIAL USE:
The Cat in the Hat is great for story time, read-along, or read alone..

CHILD APPEAL:
The humorous plot, engaging images and fun rhymes have made this book a
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childhood favorite for more than forty years.
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LibraryThing member mercedesromero
The Cat in the Hat is an imaginative story for children that gives them an activity for a rainy day. Though they cannot have Thing 1 and Thing 2, they can have friends come over and use their imaginations to make their day bright inside.
LibraryThing member ashtonrice
fun book all children should read!
LibraryThing member abmcenerney
thing 1 and thing 2
cat is annoying
LibraryThing member nnicolic
Two kids are sad and bored on a rainy day, and a cat in a big red and white stripped hat comes in to get into all kinds of mishaps. This is a fun classic, timeless book. This is a great book share, because it is a book that my grandmother read, my mother, myself and hopefully my future students.
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You never know what kind of adventures the Cat in the Hat is going to get into.
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LibraryThing member elle0467
The Cat in the Hat is a story that kids can use their imagination. This book is a story about a brother and sister who try to find something interesting to do on a rainy day when the cat in the hat shows up and causes chaos. The children try to convince him to leave them alone because he's leaving
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the house a mess. Their mother is coming back soon and the children need to have the house the same way that she had left it. This is a great book about getting the job done while having fun all at the same time.
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LibraryThing member adwirth
The Cat in the Hat is about two children who are faced with a decision harder than any other: should they play with the cat or do what their mother would want? The children experience adventures in their home like never before. I like this book becuase it teaches students to decide what is right
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and wrong.
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LibraryThing member dbhutch
This book is about a naughty cat that comes to visit 2 children on a rainy day that they are bored and their mother is out for the day. He brings thing one and thing two and they make a huge mess. All the while the fish is saying the mother would not like this. The end of the story the mother is on
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her way home and the cat and the hat has thing one and thing two clean up their mess.

This book uses lots of rhyming words and is also a beginning reader.
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LibraryThing member kevingray96
Loved it!!! Best book i've ever read.
LibraryThing member fnborries
Dr. Seuss books are always good books to read to work on rhyming words. Grouping words into families, or anything in this sort that you can do in small group. You can read this book to your students when it is raining outside and cannot go out to play.
LibraryThing member hokonow
Dr. Seuss' classic story is perfect for kindergarten and first grade students, and is about a fun and lively cat who shows up at a young boy and girls house and creates a mess, along with his sidekicks, Thing One and Thing Two. This book is perfect for children who are trying to learn how to rhyme,
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especially because Seuss' fun and colorful book jumpstarts kids' creativity and imagination! The Cat in the Hat has been enjoyed by children for decades, and will continue to be a children's literature staple for years to come.
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LibraryThing member TobysLibraryThing
Great book! This is a book that I would call a classic and I loved reading when I was younger.
LibraryThing member gbill
“The Cat in the Hat” (1957) is another of those works which truly can be said to be ahead of its time. It ushered in a generation of children’s books that took kids from books along the lines of “See Tom run. Run, Tom, run!” to the wonderful imaginative books we have today.

One could
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over-analyze the book (e.g. the Cat, Thing 1, and Thing 2 representing the Id, the fish representing the superego, etc), but I don’t think there’s any real point to that. Instead, I like to think of what the Cat in the Hat says to children:

1. A little nonconformity, disobedience, and listening to your inner voice that says “have fun!” is OK. In fact, it’s more than OK. It’s better than just sitting there idle when you’re bored.

2. Even if you fall down, even if you make a mess, even if you wreak havoc while doing do … in the end it will all be OK.

3. You’re not the only one who might not tell his parents everything. What a great ending (spoiler alert, lol): “what would you do if your mother asked you?” In other words, that tendency to secrecy, that sense you have to remain silent about something, even THAT is OK. Sure, you can talk about it with the parent who is reading to you, and maybe your answer is “I would tell him”, but the fact that you think about it and wonder is not “bad” on its own.

What a wacky, wonderful, accepting book this is. In addition to broadening children’s vocabularies so that they could someday grow up and play word games on LibraryThing  and make books that were fun to read for both parents and kids, Giesel was ushering in the 60’s. He fits right in with the beat poets of the time, albeit for kids books.

Hallelujah. It’s a classic.
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LibraryThing member varwenea
The first time I read this, I was starting to learn English at about 10 years old. I was (and still is) the goody-two-shoe variety. I remember freaking out that this (seemingly) pompous and callous cat would barge in uninvited and make a mess of everything. Even though he cleans up afterwards, I
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would have had a minor heart attack. Coincidentally, I was a latch-key kid so sitting home waiting for mom to return is a daily theme. Imagine my 10-year old self’s irrational fear of a rampaging cat barging into my home.

Reading this for a second time as an adult with a more open mind, I see the underlying messages better:

- Don’t mope around; have a little fun. (In my case, it’s more of ‘don’t be so hard on myself’.)

- It’s ok to make a little mess; it can be cleaned up. (Though it was an old friend who taught me the adage of “It’s going to get worse before it gets better.” It was an awakening to let things go.)

- The question of “What would YOU do if your mother asked YOU?”. I never thought much of this. I never told my mom much of anything having raised myself due to circumstances. But as I age, I understand the tradeoff and frustration that a normal child would have had in these situations. I think Dr. Seuss is saying it’s ok to tell or not to tell.

- I don’t know what the fish was supposed to represent, but the fish would have been my inner voice, my conscience, telling me to keep things in check. Perhaps it’s about having fun but know you have an inner voice to maintain your core.

Despite this book being in the “I can read it all by myself” category, it is still better read with a parent.
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LibraryThing member firhetrick
Two things bump their kites on the walls. If you like Dr. Seuss this might be the book for you. The cat in the hat has silly times and imaginal times and it has a lot of adventure. Recommended for Dr. Seuss Lovers everywhere.
LibraryThing member CjWilson
This book is a childhood classic. I havent met to many people my age who have not read The Cat in the Hat. The story starts with a brother and sister who want to go out and play but have to stay in the house because of rain. The Cat in the Hat comes over and shows the kids how to have fun in he
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house. The Cat along with thing 1 and 2 make a horrible mess and the kids become nervous about the mess when it is close for time for mother to come home. The Cat is able to clean the mess get rid of thing 1 and 2 and befriend the children. This book is a great read for a child on the independent reading level.
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LibraryThing member abconnor1
This book is a favorite. There are two children that are sitting inside their house by a window wanting to play outside. Since it is raining, they are studk inside for the day. Then they hear a noise and in walks The Cat in the Hat himself. The Cat tends to find trouble where ever he goes. He shows
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the children that they can play inside when it is raining outside. He ends up making a mess and cleaning it up before the children's mom gets home. Then mom walks in a asks what they have been up to and you will have to read to find out what they told their mom.
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LibraryThing member lynny_nicole
The Cat in the Hat is about a little boy and girl who are stuck inside all day because of the rain. Well the Cat in the Hat comes over and tries to show the kids that being stuck inside all day can be fun. He ends up making a big mess and then invites his friends Thing 1 and Thing 2 over to have
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fun too but they end up making an ever bigger mess. As times goes by the kids realize their mother will be home soon and the house is a mess and fear that the mess will not be cleaned in time but the Cat in the Hat pulls through and gets the house spotless again.

I like this book and think it is really cute for little kids. I like that it is a rhyming book and easy to read but also gets the children excited.

I would definitely read this book during Dr. Seuss week and I would use this book to help when teaching rhyming words.
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LibraryThing member MandyMichelle
The Cat in the Hat is about a cat who comes and visits this boy and girl when their mother has left on a rainy day. He makes a huge mess out of everything and also brings his two friends Thing 1 and Thing 2 over and they make an even bigger mess. The cat leaves but then returns before the mother
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gets home and cleans up the mess he made.

This is one of my all time favorite books and I think kids and even adults of all ages have a great laughter when they read or listen to this book.

I would use this book in my class as just one of the books I read during reading time and maybe on a raining day to cheer the students up. I could also use this book when preparing to teach the five W's (Who, What, When, Where and Why) lesson.
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LibraryThing member kmsmith13
This is a great book to read to students when they are learning the -at rhyming words. Students can gain better understanding of these words while reading an entertaining book. Not only is this book educational, but it is fun to read and kindergarten/1st grade students would love it.
LibraryThing member JulianeAdams
In this book, a cat visits two little kids and a fish and creates a stir of things around the house. The children and the fish do not know how to handle things before the children's mother returns home.

I have always liked this book because I enjoy reading what crazy things the cat in the hat can do
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to a person's house.

I would relate this to younger children by asking them if they have ever made a mess of a place and had to have it clean before someone were to get home.
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Pages

61

Rating

(3021 ratings; 4.2)
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