The Annotated Cat: Under the Hats of Seuss and His Cats (Picture Book) - Hardcover

Nel, Philip

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0375833692 ISBN 13: 9780375833694

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers, 2007

Synopsis

How did Dr. Seuss come to write The Cat in the Hat?

How long did it take him to write The Cat in the Hat and The Cat in the Hat
Comes Back?

Were these books instantly successful, or did their popularity build?

The answers to these questions and more can be found in this fascinating illustrated study of two books that changed the way our children learn how to read.

According to Professor Nel, The Cat in the Hat and its sequel operate on many levels. The books teach reading, but they also teach about poetry, politics, ethics, comics, history, and even conartistry! Complete with the text of both books, photographs, draft material, and essays by Seuss, The Annotated Cat is like a DVD with all the extras. Cat lovers everywhere can gain a deeper understanding of two of the most popular children's books ever written, and the remarkable man behind them.

About this title

About the Author:

Philip Nel is associate professor of English at Kansas State University. He is the author of Dr. Seuss: American Icon (2004), The Avant-Garde and American Postmodernity: Small Incisive Shocks (2002), and J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter Novels: A Reader's Guide (2001). At present, he is writing a biography of Crockett Johnson and Ruth Krauss and, with Julia Mickenberg, co-editing a collection of radical children's literature. He lives in Kansas.

From Booklist:

Why annotate a book that is under 4,000 words, even if it is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary? For one thing, The Cat in the Hat revolutionized the way kids learn to read. This lavishly illustrated and loving look at Dr. Seuss' small classic, as well as its sequel, The Cat in the Hat Comes Back, wins kudos for its introduction. Nel does a terrific job of supplying the backstory behind both the book and the man and explaining why and how Cat became a worldwide favorite. As for the annotations, they range from interesting to odd to, well, stretches. For instance, a riff about how Geisel identified with the Cat's "subversive sense of humor, and drew himself as both Cat and the Grinch" is captivating. The information that the parents in the original and the sequel have separate bedrooms might make one say, "Really?" But sometimes the annotations are merely a rephrasing of the text. More often the visuals are the real stars here, with beautiful reproductions of the original art juxtaposed against Geisel's earlier work. Seuss lovers will love the whole package. Endnotes, extensive references appended. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About this edition

• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0375833692
• ISBN 13: 9780375833694
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 192