The cat in the hat
With its colourful illustrations and the rapid-fire rhyming text, this Dr Seuss’s classic is fun to read with your children in a rainy day! One cold, rainy , boring day, a busy mum leaves here kids at home with an unreliable sitter. Out of the blue a mysterious cat who speaks in rhymes shows up and proceeds to destroy the house. This cat can do remarkable jugging until he drops everything. He also brings in a fun box with two little creatures who fly kites. A parental voice, present in the form of the children’s fish constantly warns them to get rid of the cat in the hat.
Suddenly, the mother is spotted about to re enter the house… The house is a mess! What to do- the children are panicking. 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.
Mum can use the book to introduce the concept of rhyming. Discuss with your children in a constructive way should they be honest with their mother about what actually happened in the house that day?
*How many sets of rhyming words can you find in the text?
*Would the child let in the cat in the hat?
*Would the child ask the cat in the hat to leave ?
*Was the fish correct in warning the children?
*What are the other reasons not to let strangers in?