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

Philip Nel (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up | Series: Picture Book

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.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Nel proves that it is fun to take Seuss's work seriously. In 1957, the baby boom peaked at 3.9 million births, coinciding with a boom in children's literature. That same year, The Cat in the Hat was first published, creating an innovative type of children's literature that brought humor and originality to young readers. From the number of digits in the Cat's fingers (varies from three, four, or five) to the changes in colors of the bow tie of the Cat (white to red), Nel chronicles the development of the stories of The Cat in the Hat and The Cat in the Hat Comes Back. The well-documented text includes original manuscripts, early sketches, and illustrations with detailed analysis and descriptions. This text is an excellent addition to any school or public library and is essential reading for all who work with youth, literacy, and literature.—Rebecca Sheridan, Easttown Library & Information Center, Berwyn, PA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers; Annotated edition (January 9, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375833692
• ISBN-13: 978-0375833694
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 10 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #472,948 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Philip Nel likes to read books. He also likes to write books. If you buy his books, then he will be able to write more books. So, please: Give generously. Thank you.

Top ten interesting facts about Philip Nel:
1) His favorite Muppet is Animal.

2) The very first book he read all by himself was Dr. Seuss's Green Eggs and Ham.

3) In first grade, his favorite book was Jeff Brown's Flat Stanley. He briefly thought he could become two-dimensional, just like Flat Stanley. (He was wrong.) For more details, see Anita Silvey's Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Children's Book.

4) He thinks you should read all of Lane Smith's books. They are funny. Very, very funny. They will make you a better person -- or at least a happier one. Why not start with The Happy Hocky Family?

5) Because he cares about the quality of your personal library, he hopes you know that it (the library) would be incomplete without Crockett Johnson's Harold and the Purple Crayon, and Ruth Krauss's The Carrot Seed.

6) His favorite band is They Might Be Giants.

7) Despite the fact that formal education held little interest for him until he went to college, he managed to become a university professor. I know, I know -- he's as surprised as you are. Believe me.

8) In fact, he directs the Graduate Program in Children's Literature at Kansas State University. Yep. True story.

9) No, really -- he does! See, here's the website:
http://www.k-state.edu/english/programs/childlit/

10) He also has his own website. It may or may not be interesting:
http://www.k-state.edu/english/nelp/

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The wonderful Dr. Suess, January 26, 2007

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Annotated Cat: Under the Hats of Seuss and His Cats (Picture Book) (Hardcover)

With only 236 words, Dr. Seuss blasted onto the children's literature scene with his revolutionary reader The Cat in the Hat. In the days of the Dick and Jane primers, reading was not the most enjoyable pastime for children, but Dr. Seuss changed all that and is now an icon.

In The Annotated Cat: Under the Hats of Seuss and His Cats readers get not only the complete texts and art of The Cat in the Hat, and The Cat in the Hat Comes Back, but also two original essays and a magazine story by Seuss, draft material and sketches, photographs and page-by-page annotations of the two classics, as well as an introduction to the man, Seuss and his work.

The Annotated Cat is an intriguing look into the mind of a children's book legend. Especially for those of us who strive to write for children, the insight put forth on Seuss' creations is mind-blowing in its detail. His quest for perfection (and near attainment of it) shows in the sketches and writes and re-writes of his books.

Philip Nel does an excellent job of analyzing the plethora of information available and commenting on the various aspects of Seuss creations.

Armchair Interviews says: A must-read for the Seuss lover or hopeful children's writer.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For the researcher in you, March 22, 2007

By 

Heather Begg (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Annotated Cat: Under the Hats of Seuss and His Cats (Picture Book) (Hardcover)

The Annotated Cat in the Hat is an interesting read. One sees behind the fun and outlandish escapades of Seuss's most well-known character. A great deal of thought goes into writing and illustrating children's books and this book delves into and explains the process.

Someone who is curious about rhythmic cadences and the reasoning behind them will surely enjoy learning the hidden meanings of those in The Cat in the Hat.

The book is not for the casual reader. It must be read by someone who has a love of language, writing, and the creative process.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating., January 29, 2008

By 

Robert P. Beveridge "xterminal" (Lakewood, OH) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Annotated Cat: Under the Hats of Seuss and His Cats (Picture Book) (Hardcover)

Philip Nel, The Annotated Cat: Under the Hats of Seuss and His Cats (Random House, 2007)

There are two different ways people will react to this book. It seems possible to me that you may be able to use it as an acid test for whether you want to keep your friends around.

The first type of person will flip through the book (or, if the word "annotated" is familiar, won't even need to do that) and then proclaim that such a book would destroy his or her enjoyment of The Cat in the Hat (and its sequel, The Cat in the Hat Comes Back), because this is "overanalyzing" and "not germane to enjoyment of the books in question." (This is, of course, assuming "germane" is in this person's vocabulary.) There will be others who will read the book and come out the other side with the same opinion.

The second type will read it and gain entirely new dimensions of enjoyment for CitH and CitHCB, understanding that the more you know, the better off you are, in general.

Sure, the information here is in many senses trivial, and one doesn't need to trace the idea of the pink spot (from CitHCB) being a symbol of communism, and the debate over whether Voom is a symbol for a nuclear weapon. But it's fascinating stuff. Even more fascinating is Nel's collection of rough drafts of many of the pages, and his notes on Seuss' process of revision; how important is the position of Sally's left arm in a given picture? Very important, according to Seuss, and Nel shows why sometimes even the most minor of revisions made the final book better than the draft he's examining.

This is great stuff. Read it, and you'll like Sr. Seuss' books even more. And kick those people to the curb who blather on about how awful it is that even kids' books can't be simple any more. ****