Customer Reviews

Dr Seuss Presents: Cat in the Hat

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I'm SO THRILLED to discover this album has been re-released. With upbeat tunes and hilariously inventive lyrics, I'm sure these songs will still appeal to kids today (as they did to me as a young child in the early 1970's).

Some of my favourite songs include "My Uncle Terwilliger Waltzes With Bears" and "The Super Supper March" (it's a long list of favourite foods from the Seuss Kitchen, sung about with great yearning by someone very "hungry, hungry").

Then there's the "No Laugh Race," an interactive song where listener/contestants "stand face to face three inches apart...just stand there and stare and stare...nobody laugh now, don't you dare...wiggle your ears, wiggle your noses, wearing eyebrows wiggle those...but if anybody giggles, out he goes...the laugher is the loser, out he goes!" I had countless moments of fun playing this song game when I was a child.

I just found out this CD is available and haven't yet received it, thus bear in mind that this review is based purely on childhood memories (from 20 years ago). For example, I can't comment on sound quality. But the vividness of my memories must say something about these songs!

this cd makes me wish that i had a zoo. i like the music and the words are fun to say. my mom likes this cd because it makes me want to eap my supper. the end

I love this CD! I listened to it as a child and memorized some of the songs. I have never forgotten them and I sang them to my own children when they were young. Kids love the silly verses and the fun music.

My three year old and I both love this at bedtime. THE CAT IN THE HAT SONGBOOK/IF I RAN THE ZOO/DR. SEUSS SLEEPBOOK CD provides three Seuss experiences in one, starting with a typical Seussical story, IF I RAN THE ZOO, then moving on to some fun and funny songs from THE CAT IN THE HAT SONGBOOK, and ending with the wonderful sleep-inducing story, THE DR. SEUSS SLEEPBOOK. This combination makes the transition from restless wakefulness to sound asleep very smooth and easy, and, quite frankly, often puts mom to sleep in her chair, too.

The first track on this terrific CD is IF I RAN THE ZOO, voiced by Marvin Miller. Here familiar, zany rhymes describe the wild, weird, and wonderful zoo animals of Dr. Seuss's incomparable imagination. The next tracks are some very memorable songs from THE CAT IN THE HAT SONGBOOK. My favorite it here is Uncle Terrwilliger Dances With Bears. These songs start off at a pleasant, upbeat tempo, and gradually slow down until the final, dreamy Party Parting song. The final track is the yawn-inducing DR. SEUSS'S SLEEP BOOK. By the end of this sleepy story, the young one is gently snoring. I'm not certain that *I* have ever heard the end of it, either.

If you have trouble with a little one who doesn't want to go to bed or won't stay in bed, this CD is just the ticket. Young children are so entranced by this CD that they are fast asleep before they every realize it. That Dr. Seuss was a very clever man!

These songs are funny in a quirky sort of way that might seem old fashioned to people today. The recordings seem to be from at least as far back as the 70's, or maybe even a decade earlier, which just by the instrumentation and the style of singing used makes the songs seem pretty dated. It's not as bad as the syrupy Disney songs of old, but the overuse of a cheesy sounding organ on almost all these songs gets old after a while.

The difference between these songs & Dr. Suess' books are that the simple rhythm of his poetry gets kind of lost in the musical settings of Eugene Poddany, which try to be as funny as Dr. Seuss's rhymes, but invariably aren't, with some exceptions. "Hurry, Hurry, Hurry" is one song where Mr. Poddany matches the music to the lyric very well, using a slowing tempo to reflect the silliness of lyrics like "we better hurry slow." And "My Uncle Terwilliger Waltzes With Bears" is the best song here, a joyful romp that really starts to evoke a picture in the listener's mind of that weird uncle that families try to ignore.

The two tracks that are not songs but are a reading of a Dr. Seuss story (w/ instrumental music added) are OK, they'd be appropriate for a young person to follow along to with the book or just listen to.

I teach music at an elementary school, and I used three songs from this CD and the Cat In the Hat songbook book to help put together a show of Dr. Seuss songs with our 1st graders. A note to any elementary music teachers who might read this: most of the songs on this CD are too difficult for young singers (like my 1st graders), the range of the songs is too wide, and the songs often contain tricky key changes. Older grades such as 3rd, 4th or 5th could handle the songs better. Plus, the singers are adults, both men & women, which isn't as good of a model for children to sing along with as a recording using a good children's group. But, if you absolutely have to put together a show about Dr. Seuss, it can be a helpful resource.

it is two audio books and the origional songs from the origional album. The songs are great, the kids love them! The audio books are an added bonus, becuase those can be pricey! a great value all around.