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The Cat in the Hat (Hardcover)
by Dr. Seuss
| Category:
Classics, Ages 4-8, Children's book |
| Market price: ¥ 118.00
MSL price:
¥ 98.00
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| Stock:
In Stock |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
An endurable children's classic which is essential to teaching the young about responsibility, temptation, thermodynamics and chaos theory. |
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Author: Dr. Seuss
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Pub. in: March, 1957
ISBN: 039480001X
Pages: 72
Measurements: 9.3 x 6.8 x 0.4 inches
Origin of product: USA
Order code: BC00027
Other information:
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- MSL Picks -
Dr. Seuss was one of those rare creative geniuses who both entertained us and challenged us to open our minds. The Cat in the Hat is an indispensable part of the Seuss canon. A bizarre blending of Seuss's trademark illustrations with an eerily Kafkaesque plot, "Cat" will delight both children and adults.
The plot is simple: The narrator, a small boy, is left home on a rainy day with his sister Sally. But their boring day is interrupted by the Cat in the Hat, a weirdly anthropomorphic, talking feline who proceeds to turn their house into a chaotic playground. The illustrations-think Salvador Dali meets Beatrix Potter-are marvelous.
This book is simple enough for beginning readers, yet full of subtle touches that could keep an army of literary critics and psychologists busy analyzing it for decades. And that is the brilliance of Dr. Seuss. Buy a copy of the book for your favorite child, buy a second for your favorite adult, and keep a third for yourself.
Target readers:
Kids aged 4-8
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- Better with -
Better with
Green Eggs and Ham (I Can Read It All by Myself Beginner Books) (Hardcover)
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Dr. Seuss was born Theodor Geisel in Springfield, Massachusetts on March 2, 1904. After attending Dartmouth College and Oxford University, he began a career in advertising. His advertising cartoons, featuring Quick, Henry, the Flit! Appeared in several leading American magazines. Dr. Seuss's first children's book, And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street, hit the market in 1937, and the world of children's literature was changed forever!
In 1957, Seuss's The Cat in the Hat became the prototype for one of Random House's best- selling series, Beginner Books. This popular series combined engaging stories with outrageous illustrations and playful sounds to teach basic reading skills. Brilliant, playful, and always respectful of children, Dr. Seuss charmed his way into the consciousness of four generations of youngsters and parents. In the process, he helped kids learn to read. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1984 and three Academy Awards, Seuss was the author and illustrator of 44 children's books, some of which have been made into audiocassettes, animated television specials, and videos for children of all ages. Even after his death in 1991, Dr. Seuss continues to be the best-selling author of children's books in the world.
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Poor Dick and Sally, it's cold and wet and they're stuck in the house with nothing to do . . . until a giant cat in a hat shows up, transforming the dull day into a madcap adventure and almost wrecking the place in the process! Written by Dr. Seuss in 1957 in response to the concern that "pallid primers [with] abnormally courteous, unnaturally clean boys and girls' were leading to growing illiteracy among children, The Cat in the Hat (the first Random House Beginner Book) changed the way our children learn how to read.
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Joanna Daneman (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-25 00:00>
The Cat in the Hat has no other name-symbolic of his role as Chaos. He comes to visit two children, the predictable (as in "orderly") Boy and Girl at home. Inexplicably, the parents have left these two under-aged children at home with no babysitter and no good sense to refuse entry to a patently dangerous beast that has regrettable taste in headgear. This is significant; despite the fact Mom and Dad represent Order in the equation, they introduce Chaos into the system by abandoning their kids. From that small oversight, the rest of the chaotic events unfold with Greek-tragedy-like inevitability, though with an unpredictable outcome. How like the universe this is; the stars in their courses, but the weather is utter madness.
The Cat roams rampant through the suburban home, pretty much doing what you and I and these two kids would love to do but wouldn't dare - everything Mom and Dad tell you "not to." In psychological terms, the Cat is fulfilling the deepest desires of the children-to be really, really bad, but without any consequences whatsoever. It's alluring, giddy, intoxicating, and it's scary, too. Disorder, like a roller-coaster ride, runs frighteningly and ultimately, downhill.
Just before the authoritarian order figure Mom (much more symbolic of order than dad-this is the fifties and you can bet she does all the housework) anyway, Mom's reappearance is imminent and the cat uses an unlikely device to vacuum up the mess and restore all as it was - in essence reversing entropy. This is accomplished effortlessly and with no visible source of power. Here is a golden opportunity to discuss the Second Law of Thermodynamics* with your kids. A good exercise would be to try to calculate the energy that would have been required to run such a device. Question: would the device the cat uses to clean the mess be able to run off a car battery, or would it require, oh, say, a fast breeder reactor the size of Yokohama? You do the math.
This endurable children's classic is essential to teaching the young about responsibility, temptation, thermodynamics and chaos theory. You can't begin too early.
The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that "in all energy exchanges, if no energy enters or leaves the system, the potential energy of the state will always be less than that of the initial state." This is also known as entropy - or disorder.
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A reader, USA
<2006-12-25 00:00>
As a parent of a toddler, I occasionally find myself losing interest in some items in our collection, especially in those that my child wants me to read over and over. Not that I won't acquiesce, mind you, but some five-page works that are perhaps less imaginative than others are harder to approach with a high degree of enthusiasm. This book is not one of those.
Thank goodness there is nothing in this book (written decades ago) that can in any way be deemed "politically incorrect." While my experience is solely with a two-and-a-half year old, I assume that this book would be interesting for older children, and is also geared to those learning to read. I can remember the animated feature that used to run on CBS every year (probably thirty years ago), but the book is far better.
It is the tale of a cat who attempts to provide entertainment to a couple of children on a rainy day. A terrible mess is made in the process, but the Cat in the Hat "always picks up his playthings," and I believe parents can get some use out of this desirable character trait evident in the titled feline.
The Seuss rhymes and rhythms are terrible fun, and I have yet to tire of them. It keeps the attention of my two year old, which is pretty good for a book of this length. The pictures, while a bit bland, are amusing. I recommend the purchase of this classic.
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Harvey J. (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-25 00:00>
"In a world gone horribly wrong, full of giant mutant cats attired in fancy costumes, baring boxes full of horrendous oddities, and overly distractive talking fish...a young boy and his sister Sally, find themselves trapped, and under the spell of the want to do bad things!".....that's how the movie trailer would read anyways. In reality....this is the classic book that nearly every child and adult should read, or have read to them. Two children left at home by their mother, on a boring rainy day, and told to behave. Enter the Cat In the Hat....whose goal in life, seems to be doing anything but behaving! The children's goldfish is the voice of reason, but he is easily out voted, by the want to have "fun". But as we learn, fun that is without boundaries is fun that causes trouble! I remember this book as a child, and we all delighted in a Cat in a Hat, but how soon we would wish we were as smart as a fish! A great read for all, and a must for any child's library. |
Matthew G. Sherwin (MSL quote), Brewster, New York United States
<2006-12-25 00:00>
The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss is a terrific book to entertain young children who are learning to read. There is an amusing plot guaranteed to hold their interest and the illustrations are very nicely done. There are inevitably a few words in the text of the book that children will not know; this gives the child a chance to learn new words as they enjoy this classic tale. Moreover, children build self-confidence about their reading skills and intelligence as they read this book and learn some new words. Excellent!
The plot is fairly simple: two children are left home alone while their mother is out during a cold, wet day. They are bored until a huge cat wearing a hat comes into their home. The cat attempts to entertain the children but wreaks havoc instead. Total chaos ensues when the cat introduces his two friends "Thing One" and "Thing Two" to the two young children.
The book is affordable and the writing is so endearing that your child-or children-will enjoy it over and over again. You can also talk with your child about the colors used in the illustrations as a way to teach them names for colors.
One reviewer writes that the fish represents the conscience of the children who know better than to create chaos and wreck the house while their mother is away. This could very well be true; but, then again-who cares? This is a children's book and it is not intended to be interpreted on that level by very young children.
I have fond memories of reading this book with my parents and occasionally a babysitter when I was a very young boy. It brought back memories of a time when I felt protected by my elders; hopefully you can sit next to your child-or children-and help them read this book so that your child will have those same fond memories one day.
I highly recommend this book for children who are learning to read or who have recently mastered the ability to read this relatively elementary type of book independently. It is a fine example of juvenile fiction. Moreover, if you sit with your child as they read you can not only educate them but hopefully the children will have fond memories of reading this book with you when they grow older. |
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