The Cat in the Hat and Other Stories (Dr Seuss)

I'm not a great fan of Adrian Edmondson (Young Ones, Bottom, etc) but he is *brilliant* on this CD, a perfect choice as narrator. It's about the only kids CD I can bear to listen to more than once as it's really entertaining for adults as well. He reads in such a fun way and the sound effects are good too - they don't go on all the time, but add to the humour and the story where appropriate and there are some weird and wonderful noises! The reading is also very clear which is important for young children who aren't as familiar with the vocabulary as adults. I didn't really understand the appeal of Dr Seuss and couldn't make sense of some bits until I heard this, but now I am a fan.

It's great value for money too. Lots of kids CDs seem to only have one very short story and pad it out with different versions or a song or two, but this one is about 45 minutes of proper storytelling with both Cat in the Hat stories, Green Eggs and Ham and Fox in Socks, all read really well.

Highly recommended for any child who likes Dr Seuss. I think it would also be great for a reluctant reader - might tempt them to take a look at the books.

Great for the car (2/2 people found this helpful)

Dr Seuss stories come alive when they are read aloud. The four stories on offer here are four of my childrens favourites (and if truth be told my own as well). Adrien Edmondson does not have a reputation for reading childrens books, I remember him from "The Young Ones" and Bottom, but he does a pretty good job of delivering these.

The Cat in the Hat and The Cat in the Hat Comes Back allow Edmondson to deliver his lines which the manic style that most listeners will instantly know is his (at least their parents will). Whilst on Fox in Socks and Green Eggs and Ham he manages a simple vocal style that children will warm to.

There are pleanty of musical interludes and sound effects as part of this production and my children love it.

It's an ideal CD to stick on in the car and I enjoy it as much as my kids do. I'm giving it 8/10!

Opening the Doorway for a Child's Imagination (3/3 people found this helpful)

Researchers constantly find that reading to children is valuable in a variety of ways, not least of which are instilling a love of reading and improved reading skills. With better parent-child bonding from reading, your child will also be more emotionally secure and able to relate better to others. Intellectual performance will expand as well. Spending time together watching television fails as a substitute.

To help other parents apply this advice, as a parent of four I consulted an expert, our youngest child, and asked her to share with me her favorite books that were read to her as a young child. The Cat in the Hat was one of her picks.

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.

Typically manic reading by Edmondson (4/4 people found this helpful)

This is probably not how you imagined 'The Cat in the Hat' should sound. It's almost certainly not how you read it to yourself as a child or out loud to your own children.

For one thing, you get background music, somewhat reminiscent of those 1960s Hanna-Barbera cartoons. Plus noisy sound effects. Plus Adrian Edmondson acting midway between his Vyvyan persona and a vaguely responsible adult.

This is not bedtime listening! It's far too exciting to expect the kids to go to sleep quickly afterwards. It's better as the key ingredient for relieving a tedious car journey.

By the way, the other stories include:
'The Cat in the Hat Comes Back'
'Green Eggs and Ham'
'Fox in Socks'
but sadly not Seuss's masterpiece, 'One Fish, Two Fish'.

The Cat in the Hat and Other Stories (Dr Seuss)

Dr. Seuss

Reader Reviews:

This is the best story CD my children have ever had (2/2 people found this helpful)

Great for the car (2/2 people found this helpful)

Opening the Doorway for a Child's Imagination (3/3 people found this helpful)

Typically manic reading by Edmondson (4/4 people found this helpful)

Similar Products

Categories