The Cat in the Hat facts for kids
Book cover
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| Author | Dr. Seuss |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's literature |
| Publisher | Random House, Houghton Mifflin |
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Publication date
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March 12, 1957 |
| ISBN | 978-0-7172-6059-1 |
| Preceded by | How the Grinch Stole Christmas! |
| Followed by | The Cat in the Hat Comes Back |
The Cat in the Hat is a children's book written by Dr. Seuss and was first published in 1957. Seuss wrote the book after being challenged to write a story beginning readers would love. He was given a list of 438 words beginning readers were expected to know. He was told these were the only words he could use. He used 223 words on the list. The Cat would appear in other Dr. Seuss books. More than 11 million copies of the book have been printed. It has been translated into more than 12 different languages including Latin and Yiddish. The story has been made into television shows and a 2003 movie. The Cat appears in a Broadway musical called Seussical.
Story
Two children are left at home alone on a rainy day. They are visited by a cat wearing a red and white striped hat and a red bowtie. He performs all sorts of tricks. He balances a cup, a cake, an umbrella, and other things while standing on a ball. The Cat gets a box from outside. Inside are two creatures named Thing One and Thing Two. The Things begin to fly kites in the house. The children catch the Things with a net. The house is a mess. The Cat cleans it up. He leaves just before the mother comes home.
Images for kids
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An article by John Hersey about literacy in early childhood provided inspiration for The Cat in the Hat.
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According to Geisel, one of the stories he pitched before The Cat in the Hat involved scaling Mount Everest.
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Bennett Cerf, the head of Random House, negotiated a deal that allowed both Random House and Houghton Mifflin to publish versions of The Cat in the Hat.
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Geisel in 1957, holding a copy of The Cat in the Hat
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Geisel once called the fish in The Cat in the Hat "my version of Cotton Mather".
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A Cat in the Hat Christmas decoration in the White House, 2003
