Summer Reading Series: Cat in the Hat
Two bored kids sit in a house on a rainy day. And then a stranger comes, a curious cat…in a hat. This is how the book “Cat in the Hat,” by Theodore Geisel, starts out. If the name doesn’t mean anything to you, don’t worry. He was better known as the one and only Dr. Seuss!
The book talks about the Cat in the Hat, and everything he does to try to entertain the two bored kids while they are stuck in the house. Cat starts with juggling a fish in a fishbowl, a rake, an umbrella and a dozen other things. Then when that fails, he uses “Thing One” and “Thing Two” to start some more mischief! In a whimsical sing-song way and in perfect rhyme, Dr. Seuss tells a story that is sure to delight the little ones, especially kids from 3 to 5 years of age. The illustrations are full of black and white space, but it only makes the other colors pop out. It’s a wonderful tale full of silliness and humor, but also surprisingly enough some suspense. Read it before bed, or anytime during the day when the kids are bored; it’s good at anytime, anywhere.
Activity Ideas
“Cat in the Hat” is a great book on showing kids what NOT to do inside the house. But it’s also a good springboard to try lots of different activities…
- Kids can learn how to put away their toys and other things like Cat in the Hat did when he made a mess.
- Visit a pet store and look at all the cats and kittens. Or better yet, go to a shelter and adopt a cat in desperate need of a place to stay.
- Kids can also use construction paper of different colors to make their own hat like the Cat wore.
- They can draw and color in Thing One or Thing Two, or both.
- They can go out into a nice park and watch someone flying a kite (which is better outside the house than in), and maybe learn to fly it themselves.
- Kids with more fashion sense can try on lots of different hats, like cowboy hats, baseball hats, and maybe even hats with flowers on them!
Entertainment
PBS also created a webpage called The Cat In The Hat Knows a Lot About That. On it you can find videos inspired by “Cat in the Hat,” printable activity pages that you can also color in, and web games about The Cat in the Hat. We also found a great narration of “Cat in the Hat on Youtube.
But as always, having the book in hand and reading from it is the best way to share the experience with your kids. And if you’ve got other little ones running around, check out some other ideas for the younger kiddos, including Goodnight Moon and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. But don’t take my word for it!