Cat in the Hat

Maura suggested "The Cat in the Hat", which is described in our text as a book written with a controlled vocabulary. When he created it in 1957, he also created a new genre of books.

I had to look up the Dolch word list, and here is a link I found in case anyone else needs to see it too: http://www.dolch-words.com/dolch-word-lists/dolch-words-all.html. I think this will be a good place to start. I have read The Cat in the Hat a zillion times, but I look forward to getting to "dissect" it with you guys.

Yes, it is one of the first books I remember reading and one of the first books I purchased when my first son was born. His dad gave him a Cat in the Hat doll and he dragged it everywhere. One time he left it at school, and we had to go back and get a janitor to let us in so he could rertieve it. Later I remember making him a hat as an assignment for school. I'm sure we will be reading it to our grandchildren. I even refer to my kids as thing one and thing two!

Questions I've always had...
Where is the dad? There is no mention of him. Why are they left alone all day? Is the mother at work? Don't they seem kind of small? Why do we only see the mother's leg? Do you think that is where Charles Schultz got the idea of never showing adults? Is the message of this book to always clean up your messes (even though the fish is trying to tell you not to let strangers in the house?)

Colors in The Cat in the Hat
My book is old, but I know that even the newest reprints are unchanged. The colors are red, blue, black, white and a kind of peach color. Do you think this limited color scheme was due to limitations in publishing of the day, or was this a lot of color for the time? Did anyone like the movie with Mike Myers? It kind of bothered me. I think this book is sacred and should have been left alone.