The Cat in the Hat Comes Back (Dr Seuss Book & Tape)

This sequel to The Cat in the Hat is clearly an allegory based on the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The mom (who represents Godly authority) has gone to town and left the kids alone, no doubt with hefty instructions not to let in strangers or to eat from the Refrigerator of Knowledge. The Cat is surely Satan, asking to be let in the world of Paradise. The children understand he's trouble (they had some little experience with this fellow previously) but they can't resist letting him in the door again. I presume it would be the Girl who let in the Cat, and when questioned, the Boy will no doubt assert that "she told me to."

The Cat takes a bath but leaves a nasty pink ring in the tub. The children try to remove the ring, but it ends up getting all over everything and spreading like measles. A metaphor for the nature of Sin. An invisible (read, spirit) cat is finally invoked to clean up the spots. The snow is clean as the, well, the driven-snow, and all is well in Paradise again. (Til mom and dad drive out Adam and Eve at age 18 to get a job, a flat and be fruitful and multiply a herd of grandkids.)

A most spiritual book, highly recommended for all.


Same Cat, Same Hat, who would ever have guessed that!   January 6, 2006
 8 out of 9 found this review helpful

Here we are, once again
The silly cat, the silly grin
The same old cat, the same old hat
Who has the same routine down pat

It came upon a snowy day
The cat in hat decides to pay
A visit once again to those
Friends he had earlier chose

And oops! It's bath time for the kitty
But he leaves the tub so gritty
He must go and look for help to clean
Such a mess should not be seen

That silly cat! That gosh-darned hat!
I still don't know what's up with that!
Where did he come from, once again
Surely fun like this is a sin!

The mischief truly knows no bounds
When cats like this are hang-arounds
And I should know, I've got some now
But they never reach my hats, somehow

But surely we would welcome more
Of the fun we knew before
And Dr. Seuss, he did provide us
With more tails, er, tails hilarious

Huzzah that the cat, he did come back
and with the hat, not on the rack
but on his head, inside devising
situations not compromising

But always ending up in spirit
most jolly, happy, and we're near it
when we read the silly rhymes
remembering them in silly times

We'll never forget the cat's appearance
(from a book not usually on clearance)
And thus he comes again to renew
His friendship with me, and also with you.

After the success of 'The Cat in the Hat', who wouldn't want a sequel? The same Cat and the same children are matched again in this story, for new mischief and new adventures. Who would guess that such clever rhymes and language inventions could be done with such a limited vocabulary? It is the very simplicity and low number of vocabulary words that makes this and other Dr. Seuss books such wonderful learning aids for children. The whimsical versification makes them a delight for adults, too.

Children who are raised on Dr. Seuss never forget him. And the Cat in the Hat is central to the Dr. Seuss canon; it is surprising that this sequel is not better known.

Pros
The cat again, the hat again
Cons

No, I cannot find a one, not one!

Brilliant!


3rd generation addiction   October 27, 2005
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

my mum read this book to me when i was a little girl. I actually didn't have to read the words, when my time came to read aloud to my daughter - I remembered them, and love them as much now as I did 30 yrs ago.


Opening the Doorway for a Child's Imagination   September 11, 2004
 3 out of 3 found this review helpful

The Cat in the Hat was one my daughters favourite books.I have always thought of this book as a metaphor for the sort of "make believe" thinking that children like to do and are good at. The setting is a cold rainy day, and the children's mother isn't home. I have always transformed that into they are playing in their room while their mother is busy elsewhere in the house. Suddenly, a mysterious cat arrives who can do remarkable jugging (until he drops everything) and brings in a fun box (with two little creatures who fly kites). A parental voice, however, is always present in the form of the children's fish who constantly warns them to get rid of the cat in the hat. Suddenly, the mother is spotted about to reenter the house. The children are panic-stricken. The house is a mess! What to do? They are obviously about to be really in for it. I can feel the adrenaline rushing even now as I remember similar situations with friends as a child. But then, the cat in the hat returns with a miraculous device which cleans everything up! And then he is gone, just as their mother steps in. She asks, "Did you have any fun? Tell me. What did you do?" The two children don't know what to say. They ask you what you would do if your mother asked you. The ending is wonderful because it sets up a wonderful opportunity to talk about the story. Would the child let in the cat in the hat? Would the child ask the cat in the hat to leave and when? Was the fish correct in warning the children? What are the other reasons not to let strangers in? Why should you tell your mother if things go awry, or not? In the course of the discussion, fears that the story probably raises can be dealt with in a constructive way that reduces fear in the future and improves communication in the family. Most children have these kinds of fears, but aren't usually willing to bring them up. So the book gives you the excuse to work on improving their security. This is one of the more difficult Dr. Seuss books for beginning readers, so you'll be reading this one to your child for a while. The appeal to the child is very much in the idea of playing unrestrained in the house. Almost no child is allowed to do that, and the consequences are pretty funny for the child if they are happening to someone else. If you want to see the earliest versions of the cat in the hat character, be sure to see Dr. Seuss Goes to War which documents his work as a political cartoonist in World War II. Then, encourage your child to use the book to come up with her or his own ideas about fun things to do as make-believe on a rainy day. Can they imagine a more fun make-believe visitor than the cat in the hat? What would the visitor do? If you ask these questions, you will extend your child's imagination now and for a lifetime. Enjoy for the rest of your life!