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Imagine That!: How Dr. Seuss Wrote The Cat in the Hat
A lively new picture-book biography of the most beloved children's book author of all time: Dr. Seuss!
Have you ever wondered how the great Dr. Seuss wrote his most famous book? Did you know that for The Cat in the Hat, he wasn't allowed to make up the fun words he was known for--like OOBLECK and IT-KUTCH and HIPPO-NO-HUNGUS? He was only allowed to use words from a very strict list!
This bouncy account of the early career of Dr. Seuss (a.k.a. Ted Geisel) proves that sometimes limitations can be the best inspiration of all.
Kid-friendly prose (with Seussian rhyme for Ted's dialogue) and whimsical illustrations by award winner Kevin Hawkes recall the work of Dr. Seuss himself. Writing tips from Dr. Seuss and exclusive letters from the author and illustrator, detailing how they created this book, are included!
Have you ever wondered how the great Dr. Seuss wrote his most famous book? Did you know that for The Cat in the Hat, he wasn't allowed to make up the fun words he was known for--like OOBLECK and IT-KUTCH and HIPPO-NO-HUNGUS? He was only allowed to use words from a very strict list!
This bouncy account of the early career of Dr. Seuss (a.k.a. Ted Geisel) proves that sometimes limitations can be the best inspiration of all.
Kid-friendly prose (with Seussian rhyme for Ted's dialogue) and whimsical illustrations by award winner Kevin Hawkes recall the work of Dr. Seuss himself. Writing tips from Dr. Seuss and exclusive letters from the author and illustrator, detailing how they created this book, are included!
48 pages, Hardcover
First published September 12, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews
October 21, 2021
Can you write a book for beginning readers that is inviting and engaging and use all of the 50 words on a prescribed list for 1st grade reader? When Dr. Seuss is invited to write for 1st graders, he thinks it will be a snap. It is not as easy as he anticipates, but he rises to the challenge and delivers the classic "The Cat In the Hat" and many more books for early readers come along behind. As we celebrate the birthday of Theodore Geisel this week, here is a book that gives you a glimpse of the process that brought us so many beloved titles.
September 26, 2017
One of the most interesting and exciting picture book biographies I have ever seen. The illustrations are phenomenal. The illustrator Kevin Hawkes at his very best. A must have for a children's library. I absolutely love it!
October 23, 2021
Imagine That!: How Dr. Seuss Wrote the Cat in the Hat is a children's picture book written by Judy Sierra and illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. It retells how the masterpiece of The Cat in the Hat was created.
Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American children's author, political cartoonist, illustrator, poet, animator, and filmmaker. He is known for his work writing and illustrating more than sixty books under the pen name Dr. Seuss.
Sierra's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. Sierra writes mostly in prose, she occasionally slips into Seussian rhyme, as if to channel the pieces coming together in Geisel's mind. Backmatter includes endnotes from Sierra, Hawkes, and Seuss himself. Amid representational portraits of Geisel, Hawkes dives headlong into the wooly world of the books he created, blending imagination and reality.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. In 1954, there was no real book for children who are beginning to read to get excited about. So, Theodor Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, endeavored to create a beginning reader to do so. It took Geisel more than a year to get The Cat in the Hat just right and irrevocably changed reading for children.
All in all, Imagine That!: How Dr. Seuss Wrote the Cat in the Hat is wonderful biography that is buoyantly told, rich in insights into the creative process as well as the crafts of writing, illustrating, and storytelling.
Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American children's author, political cartoonist, illustrator, poet, animator, and filmmaker. He is known for his work writing and illustrating more than sixty books under the pen name Dr. Seuss.
Sierra's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. Sierra writes mostly in prose, she occasionally slips into Seussian rhyme, as if to channel the pieces coming together in Geisel's mind. Backmatter includes endnotes from Sierra, Hawkes, and Seuss himself. Amid representational portraits of Geisel, Hawkes dives headlong into the wooly world of the books he created, blending imagination and reality.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. In 1954, there was no real book for children who are beginning to read to get excited about. So, Theodor Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, endeavored to create a beginning reader to do so. It took Geisel more than a year to get The Cat in the Hat just right and irrevocably changed reading for children.
All in all, Imagine That!: How Dr. Seuss Wrote the Cat in the Hat is wonderful biography that is buoyantly told, rich in insights into the creative process as well as the crafts of writing, illustrating, and storytelling.
December 12, 2017
I like the idea that Judy Sierra wrote this as a way to answer kids' questions about Dr. Seuss. For several years, I used a powerpoint a librarian had shared with many of us through a listserv; it had many of the same ideas as this book, and my students were fascinated. They also loved to guess the name of the book from a brief description.
My favorite illustration in the book is the one that images Dr. Seuss with a typewriter serving as a piano, complete with the Cat in the Hat sitting on it. I am also one of those adults who learned to read with Dr. Seuss books. One of the first ones I read with my father on the couch was To Think That I Saw That on Mulberry Street, but I had many others.
My favorite illustration in the book is the one that images Dr. Seuss with a typewriter serving as a piano, complete with the Cat in the Hat sitting on it. I am also one of those adults who learned to read with Dr. Seuss books. One of the first ones I read with my father on the couch was To Think That I Saw That on Mulberry Street, but I had many others.
October 24, 2017
Most students know who Dr. Seuss is. This is is a cute memoir about how he wrote The Cat in the Hat and his other beginner reader stories for kids. This will be a good book to share with students for Read Across America Day, I Love to Read month or anytime.
October 19, 2017
First sentence: 1954 was a great year to be a kid. There were five-cent doughnuts and one-cent lollipops. Rock and roll had just hit the record shops. Bookstores brimmed with exciting new books, like Charlotte's Web, The Lord of the Rings, and Horton Hears a Who! 1954 was a great year to be a kid, unless you were trying to learn how to read.
Premise/plot: Imagine That tells the dual story of how Dr. Seuss wrote The Cat and the Hat (and Green Eggs and Ham) and also how beginning readers got their start in the publishing world. The problem facing teachers--and parents--in 1954 was this: School readers were too boring--nobody wanted to read them. Therefore kids were struggling to transition from reading a few words to reading whole books. Dr Seuss was given a list of 236 words to use to write this new book, this beginning reader. Was he up to the challenge?
My thoughts: It is hard for me to imagine a world without beginning readers. I think my favorite thing about this one was that it showed the creative writing process.
I enjoyed the illustrations. I loved the blend of new illustrations showing Dr. Seuss hard at work but also highlighting Seuss' classic illustrations.
Premise/plot: Imagine That tells the dual story of how Dr. Seuss wrote The Cat and the Hat (and Green Eggs and Ham) and also how beginning readers got their start in the publishing world. The problem facing teachers--and parents--in 1954 was this: School readers were too boring--nobody wanted to read them. Therefore kids were struggling to transition from reading a few words to reading whole books. Dr Seuss was given a list of 236 words to use to write this new book, this beginning reader. Was he up to the challenge?
My thoughts: It is hard for me to imagine a world without beginning readers. I think my favorite thing about this one was that it showed the creative writing process.
Ted pondered how kids learned to read. He had a hunch that easy rhymes and funny drawings would help them guess the words they didn't know. He used tricks to coax readers to turn the pages. For example, he put the word BUMP in huge letters at the top-right edge of page five. What made that BUMP sound? Kids had to turn the page to find out.
I enjoyed the illustrations. I loved the blend of new illustrations showing Dr. Seuss hard at work but also highlighting Seuss' classic illustrations.
November 17, 2021
Perfect for kids who have enjoyed titles by Dr. Seuss.
The art captures the 'feel' of Seuss and enhances the story.
Follow up questions for motivated kids:
-- How many different words are in The Cat in the Hat? Exactly 50?
-- Which word(s) might cause problems for young readers?
-- Which word is used the most?
If I'd been the editor, I would have omitted these two sentences:
A famous writer named John Hersey agreed with the kids. He had an idea for solving the problem and wrote about it in life magazine.
Really? "John Hersey?" "Life" magazine? Not helpful.
The art captures the 'feel' of Seuss and enhances the story.
Follow up questions for motivated kids:
-- How many different words are in The Cat in the Hat? Exactly 50?
-- Which word(s) might cause problems for young readers?
-- Which word is used the most?
If I'd been the editor, I would have omitted these two sentences:
A famous writer named John Hersey agreed with the kids. He had an idea for solving the problem and wrote about it in life magazine.
Really? "John Hersey?" "Life" magazine? Not helpful.
December 5, 2017
I clearly remember the Dick and Jane books from my earliest grades of elementary school. Dr. Seuss came along in later grades in the form of read-alouds. I loved when our teacher read to us The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins and Yertle the Turtle. My parents read Dr. Seuss book to me too: Horton Hatches the Egg and Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose. As I learned from Judy Sierra’s nonfiction picture book Imagine That!: How Dr. Seuss Wrote The Cat in the Hat, the Dr. Seuss easy reader books came along just a little later, and apparently my teachers weren’t quite ready to replace Dick and Jane with Thing One and Thing Two.
Imagine that. Imagine That! helped me understand something about my early reading life that I’d never realized. I’m excited to think about this wonderful book doing the same for readers fifty years younger than me as they ponder when, how, and why Dr. Seuss books came into their lives.
The Cat in the Hat grew out of a realization that those Dick and Jane books are boring, and kids were more likely to read if their first easy readers were fun and exciting. Ted Geisel, the author known as Dr. Seuss, accepted a challenge from writer John Hersey to write a funny book using only words from the approved basal reader list. Imagine That! explains Geisel’s offbeat creative processes and how The Cat in the Hat became such a phenomenon.
Young Dr. Seuss fans will enjoy learning more about this subject matter that is likely already in their knowledge banks. Will this be their first exposure to literary analysis as they think about how Dr. Seuss worked within various constraints to create his delightful effects? Will it inspire them to write funny stories of their own? Imagine that.
Imagine that. Imagine That! helped me understand something about my early reading life that I’d never realized. I’m excited to think about this wonderful book doing the same for readers fifty years younger than me as they ponder when, how, and why Dr. Seuss books came into their lives.
The Cat in the Hat grew out of a realization that those Dick and Jane books are boring, and kids were more likely to read if their first easy readers were fun and exciting. Ted Geisel, the author known as Dr. Seuss, accepted a challenge from writer John Hersey to write a funny book using only words from the approved basal reader list. Imagine That! explains Geisel’s offbeat creative processes and how The Cat in the Hat became such a phenomenon.
Young Dr. Seuss fans will enjoy learning more about this subject matter that is likely already in their knowledge banks. Will this be their first exposure to literary analysis as they think about how Dr. Seuss worked within various constraints to create his delightful effects? Will it inspire them to write funny stories of their own? Imagine that.
January 19, 2018
I love picture book biographies, and even if they aren't the best written, or leave out information I think should be included, I still really like their existence. Here's a biography that's really good - interesting, fun to read AND look at, and with lots of really interesting information. After sharing this book with a group of kids, there are so many things that could be done! Read the book. Then read Cat in the Hat, and Green Eggs and Ham. THEN each child could create their own book, easy peasy fold and sew , than includes silly words they've made up, either individually or as a group. Best, though, was discovering the process that Ted Geisel went through to make his ultra-popular, long-lasting Cat in the Hat. Bravo!
January 6, 2018
How did Dr. Seuss write his classic The Cat in the Hat? Judy Sierra describes the challenge that led Seuss to dream up this seemingly simple book. The text of Imagine That! is simple enough that 1st and 2nd graders can follow and appreciate the story. I don't love Kevin Hawkes' illustrations -- they walk the line between being realistic while not quite capturing Seuss and his nearly mythical sense of silly. But the story is a great one for kids to read and this is a fabulous addition to Read Across America Day and every elementary school library.
June 12, 2020
Ted Giesel (better known to all as "Dr. Seus") was asked to write a "first-grade reader". But not just any reader. This book was to use only words from a "No-nonsense" list and it needed to be "a book that no kid can resist". In Dr. Seus style, "Ted spied the word 'cat', and he spied the word 'hat'. 'Cat rhymes with hat, so I'll just start with that.'" And from here, the famous "Cat in the Hat" was born.....
January 13, 2018
This is a great (basic) biography about Dr. Seuss and how he got his start!
I loved learning about the fact that Dr. Seuss' friend, Bennett Cerf (I had a riddle book by this author when I was a child) once proposed the ultimate challenge. He bet that Seuss could not write a beginning reader using only 50 words. Seuss successfully met this challenge. To find out which title met this goal, you'll have to read this book. Enjoy!
I loved learning about the fact that Dr. Seuss' friend, Bennett Cerf (I had a riddle book by this author when I was a child) once proposed the ultimate challenge. He bet that Seuss could not write a beginning reader using only 50 words. Seuss successfully met this challenge. To find out which title met this goal, you'll have to read this book. Enjoy!
January 26, 2018
I knew CAT IN THE HAT had been written with the Dolch vocabulary list...those sight words we try to pound into kids...but this story was clever and fun and instructive.
What I didn't know is the Bennett Cerf connection to GREEN EGGS AND HAM.
Not sure if small children will care, but this is fascinating to adults.
What I didn't know is the Bennett Cerf connection to GREEN EGGS AND HAM.
Not sure if small children will care, but this is fascinating to adults.
January 24, 2020
A fun biography of Dr. Seuss and the story of how he began writing beginning reading books such as The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham. The story was fascinating enough for me to keep reading, and the pictures were funny enough to keep my toddlers engaged.
March 22, 2018
good choice to add to studies of Dr. Seuss and the story behind writing Cat in the Hat.
June 5, 2018
Can Dr. Seuss write a first-year reader using a list of first-year words when he loved to make up words? Yes, indeed, this book describes how he rose to the challenge and wrote The Cat in the Hat. Kevin Hawkes imitates Seuss’ illustrations beautifully, and in places author Sierra captures the bouncy rhyming of his text too. Children and teachers alike will enjoy this one. Highly recommended.
January 28, 2018
This is a different kind of biography for Dr. Seuss. In a way it is written more to describe how Ted Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, got into writting easy reader books that would help kids learn how to read ... and how that process led to the creation of one of his most famous characters, the Cat in the Hat.
It all started when writer John Hersey wrote an article for Life magazine about how he thought the school readers of the early 1950s were ineffective because they were just plain boring. Part of the challenge of creating such readers were they needed to be written with a focus on an "Official List" of words that needed to be focused on. This created a challenge for writers since such a focus severely limited.
Upon reading Hersey's article, one publisher approached Geisel, who had already written a number of very popular picture books. If he couldn't add fun to the readers no one can. While it took him a while, more than a year in fact, The Cat and the Hat was released, and it used only 236 different words from the list.
The book was quite the success, and this encouraged Geisel to continue to write easy-reader books, though often they were published under the name Theo LeSeig. Many others, such as Green Eggs and Ham, which used only 50 different words, continued to be published under the moniker Dr. Seuss.
This was a fun and informative picture book read. The illustrations, which were drawn by the amazingly talented Kevin Hawkes, are bright and attractive. Many of them reflect Geisel's own illustration style. The story definitely reflects Geisel's whimsical writing style, and it will encourage your readers to explore this particular aspect of his career.
The book concludes with writing tips from Dr. Seuss himself as well as short notes from both Sierra and Hawkes about how they were drawn to the project and how much they both loved Dr. Seuss. Fans of Dr. Seuss, young and old, should really take a few moments to read this interesting book.
It all started when writer John Hersey wrote an article for Life magazine about how he thought the school readers of the early 1950s were ineffective because they were just plain boring. Part of the challenge of creating such readers were they needed to be written with a focus on an "Official List" of words that needed to be focused on. This created a challenge for writers since such a focus severely limited.
Upon reading Hersey's article, one publisher approached Geisel, who had already written a number of very popular picture books. If he couldn't add fun to the readers no one can. While it took him a while, more than a year in fact, The Cat and the Hat was released, and it used only 236 different words from the list.
The book was quite the success, and this encouraged Geisel to continue to write easy-reader books, though often they were published under the name Theo LeSeig. Many others, such as Green Eggs and Ham, which used only 50 different words, continued to be published under the moniker Dr. Seuss.
This was a fun and informative picture book read. The illustrations, which were drawn by the amazingly talented Kevin Hawkes, are bright and attractive. Many of them reflect Geisel's own illustration style. The story definitely reflects Geisel's whimsical writing style, and it will encourage your readers to explore this particular aspect of his career.
The book concludes with writing tips from Dr. Seuss himself as well as short notes from both Sierra and Hawkes about how they were drawn to the project and how much they both loved Dr. Seuss. Fans of Dr. Seuss, young and old, should really take a few moments to read this interesting book.
October 14, 2017
Following in the rhyming tradition of Dr. Seuss, the author describes how the children's author and illustrator accepted the challenge to come up with a first-grade reader that would enable youngsters to learn how to read while not boring them to tears. It was a lot harder than he thought since he had to follow certain constraints and wasn't allowed to make up words, something he had always enjoyed doing. Plus, he he had to adhere to a list of words. He finally finds inspiration by using words that rhyme with cat, and he is off and running with the book that would become ubiquitous in households with children--The Cat in the Hat. It contained only 236 different words. Fans of Seuss will be charmed by how the story is told and then smile as the book concludes with his next challenge, writing a book using only fifty different words. Yes, he pulled that one off too with Green Eggs and Ham. There is absolutely no mention of other, darker periods in Suess's career, something that some readers may be interested in exploring, only focusing on this particular slice of his life. Judy Sierra captures the essence of this creative spirit in her text, while Kevin Hawkes adds humor to the story with his pitch-perfect illustrations. It's easy to imagine just how hard it was to try to write as Seuss did. Amazingly, those books have stood the test of time.
September 5, 2021
This book was done well, providing so much insight into Theodore Geisel's (AKA Dr. Seuss) challenge to make, first, The Cat and the Hat, and second, Green Eggs and Ham, with the ultimate purpose to provide beginning readers with great stories that have been created specifically for them. Through this book, I learned how Dr. Seuss was already a popular Picture Book creator, with a number of bestsellers under this belt, but then was challenged by an article in LIFE magazine that called for "a beginning reader so exciting that they [the kids] couldn't stop turning the pages. Dr. Seuss excepted the call and set out on a year-long journey (spending way more time than he expected) creating The Cat in the Hat. The biggest challenge? Only using words from a "No-Nonsense List." Dismayed that there was no Queen or Zebra on the list, Dr. Seuss settled for a cat and 236 words—both of which led to Dr. Seuss's future and ongoing success as a picture book writer who also has books that help kids read. And how about Green Eggs and Ham? Read Imagine That! to find out more.
I read this book alongside Richard Scarry's Christmas Mice and Just for Fun. Both books were appreciated by my daughter, but we equally loved this informative biography about Dr. Seuss—her pointing out all the pictures from the books we own.
I read this book alongside Richard Scarry's Christmas Mice and Just for Fun. Both books were appreciated by my daughter, but we equally loved this informative biography about Dr. Seuss—her pointing out all the pictures from the books we own.
September 11, 2017
"Imagine That!" is the story of Dr. Seuss and how he came up with all of his wonderful stories. It's filled with great illustrations from an illustrator I adore: Kevin Hawkes. It's about how he first got jobs as a writer for a new style of early reader books after an interesting career as a cartoonist for adults. It talks about how he turned the children lit world on its head with his zany stories.
Dr. Seuss is a hot author in our household as I have two year old twins. I've been reading the girls Dr. Seuss books since they were in utero and now that they are two, they appreciate the books even more. While this book is probably a little advanced for two year olds, my girls loved all of the silly words that appear in this book just like they like the silly rhymes in the Dr. Seuss books. I know my girls definitely learned something about one of their favorite authors in this book and so did I!
My girls (and I) also adored the pictures in this book. Hawkes is a great illustrator and did a great job of bringing Dr. Seuss to life. My girls loved seeing some of their old familiar friends from Dr. Seuss like the Cat in the Hat and we loved seeing new ones as well. This was a fun read for the whole family!
Dr. Seuss is a hot author in our household as I have two year old twins. I've been reading the girls Dr. Seuss books since they were in utero and now that they are two, they appreciate the books even more. While this book is probably a little advanced for two year olds, my girls loved all of the silly words that appear in this book just like they like the silly rhymes in the Dr. Seuss books. I know my girls definitely learned something about one of their favorite authors in this book and so did I!
My girls (and I) also adored the pictures in this book. Hawkes is a great illustrator and did a great job of bringing Dr. Seuss to life. My girls loved seeing some of their old familiar friends from Dr. Seuss like the Cat in the Hat and we loved seeing new ones as well. This was a fun read for the whole family!
October 12, 2017
In 1954, children were having problems learning to move from knowing how to read a few words to being able to read a book. When Life Magazine covered the issue, they suggested that a new book be made by Dr. Seuss. Unable to use his signature made-up language and words, Dr. Seuss had to follow a strict vocabulary list instead. Luckily on that list were the words “cat” and “hat” and the author was inspired. He used easy rhymes and silly illustrations combined with dynamic storylines to get children to turn the pages. Soon Dr. Seuss was creating more beginning readers and publishing others by different authors. It was the birth of the popular early-readers for children and Cat in the Hat remains one of the best! This picture book is a fascinating look at the author’s process and the way that the challenge inspired him creatively. The illustrations combine classic Dr. Seuss elements with Hawkes’ own style. Young writers will be inspired by this look at Dr. Seuss. Appropriate for ages 6-9.
October 20, 2017
A kid-friendly biography about how Seuss came to write The Cat in the Hat. Sierra explains how easy to read books in the 1950's were really boring, and that kids were not interested in picking them up. She shows the challenge of the limited vocabulary that could be used in an easy reader, and describes Seuss's writing style and challenges. Seuss was already an established writer, and yet he still found it difficult to write an exciting book with such a limited range of words. I like that parts of the book use Seuss-like rhyming, which should be familiar to most kids. Familiar characters from his easy readers inhabit the illustrations, which are whimsical and entertaining. Hawkes portrays Seuss with freshness and affection, and Sierra manages to make what may seem like a footnote in publishing history, relevant to our times. Back matter includes Dr. Seuss's writing tips, author and illustrator notes and a list of all books written by Dr. Seuss.
This would be a great book to share with 1st and 2nd graders as they start to write their own stories.
This would be a great book to share with 1st and 2nd graders as they start to write their own stories.
November 12, 2019
Summary: 1957 was a great year to be a kid... unless you're learning to read! Books in schools that taught students to read were boring and didn't engage students at all. Dr. Seuss was challenged to change that. Given an "official list" of words to use in his easy reader book, he wrote "The Cat in the Hat" which soon gave birth to easy readers for children, and learning to read has never been more fun!
Review: I love Dr. Seuss and his books and I thought it was so interesting to learn about Dr. Seuss. I also didn't know that before him there weren't really any books for beginning readers that were fun and engaging. This is a fun informational book for students who may be interested in nonfiction books or students who may be interested in historical figures.
Teaching Point:
This would be another great book to explain to students that nonfiction can be fun and interesting. Children tend to be interested in historical people, so I might use this book to introduce students to biographical books as well.
Review: I love Dr. Seuss and his books and I thought it was so interesting to learn about Dr. Seuss. I also didn't know that before him there weren't really any books for beginning readers that were fun and engaging. This is a fun informational book for students who may be interested in nonfiction books or students who may be interested in historical figures.
Teaching Point:
This would be another great book to explain to students that nonfiction can be fun and interesting. Children tend to be interested in historical people, so I might use this book to introduce students to biographical books as well.
Read
November 18, 2019Summary: This book is a biography, outlining how Dr. Seuss wrote his most famous book, Cat in the Hat. It tells you the story of how he came up with the idea for writing Cat in the Hat, and his ideas behind it.
Evaluation: I enjoyed this book. Since most of us were Dr. Seuss fans growing up, it was interesting to see the background work. I never knew the reason for how he wrote his books, and how he picked the characters he did. I liked how this book took us behind the scenes and showed us how Dr. Seuss came up with and wrote his books.
Teaching Idea: I would use this book to teach about the genre of biographies. We would read this book, and stop throughout to discuss certain features of biographies and specifically this book. Students would then have an opportunity to go around the room and look at some more biographies that the teacher has around the room. They would have a graphic organizer to fill out while they look at the books, that ahs them lists certain features of biographies.
Evaluation: I enjoyed this book. Since most of us were Dr. Seuss fans growing up, it was interesting to see the background work. I never knew the reason for how he wrote his books, and how he picked the characters he did. I liked how this book took us behind the scenes and showed us how Dr. Seuss came up with and wrote his books.
Teaching Idea: I would use this book to teach about the genre of biographies. We would read this book, and stop throughout to discuss certain features of biographies and specifically this book. Students would then have an opportunity to go around the room and look at some more biographies that the teacher has around the room. They would have a graphic organizer to fill out while they look at the books, that ahs them lists certain features of biographies.
January 2, 2018
Picture book about how Theodore Geisel AKA Dr. Seuss created The Cat in the Hat reader given a list of words that he had to stick to, which was hard to do for someone who loved to make up his own silly words. Lovely illustrations, styled like Seuss, which have Seuss' characters looking over his shoulder and following him upstairs to his office, etc. He drives the Cat's cartoon car; when the book is printed (Cat in the Hat), it's on a crazy Seussian-style printing press. Great job of incorporating the real and the fantastic. Negatives: no bibliography or sources given, so I didn't classify it as a biography. Also, nice page of writing advice from Seuss, in quotation marks, but NOT sourced. I would think especially in a book written for kids about a guy who makes stuff up, that you'd want to be sure to show them what you are NOT making up about him. Sigh. My only quibble, otherwise I thought it really nice.
February 3, 2018
Non-fiction/Fiction twin text entry #3
This book is a biography about Dr. Seuss and how he wrote the Cat in the Hat books. It is a biography, because it is about Dr. Seuss's life, but it was not written by him.
I would recommend this book to primary grades. I think it's a great read-aloud. I think because Dr. Seuss, and The Cat in the Hat are such iconic characters, that reading this after you read Cat in the Hat, would be a lot of fun for students.
I obviously paired this book with The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss. This non-fiction text, outlines how and why Dr. Seuss wrote the book in the first place. I think when students see the hard work that went into the book, they will enjoy The Cat in the Hat more. This book shows how much Dr. Seuss cared about early readers, and their success, and I think when paired with Dr. Seuss books it will give kids the background knowledge on what they're gaining when they read them!
This book is a biography about Dr. Seuss and how he wrote the Cat in the Hat books. It is a biography, because it is about Dr. Seuss's life, but it was not written by him.
I would recommend this book to primary grades. I think it's a great read-aloud. I think because Dr. Seuss, and The Cat in the Hat are such iconic characters, that reading this after you read Cat in the Hat, would be a lot of fun for students.
I obviously paired this book with The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss. This non-fiction text, outlines how and why Dr. Seuss wrote the book in the first place. I think when students see the hard work that went into the book, they will enjoy The Cat in the Hat more. This book shows how much Dr. Seuss cared about early readers, and their success, and I think when paired with Dr. Seuss books it will give kids the background knowledge on what they're gaining when they read them!
July 17, 2018
This book is an entertaining way to learn how our childhood hero, the person who made books children's best friend, Dr. Seuss wrote his most popular book "The Cat in The Hat". Why it was hard for children to learn to read? How much did Dr. Seuss work? How many different words did he include in his work? What was his special thing to bring good luck? How "The Cat in The Hat" became very popular? You will find the answers to these questions and much more when you read the book.
Illustrations of the book are very good. The illustrator used vivid colors. So it gives the enthusiasm to read the book. It's eye-catching.
If you or the person you will read this book is a Dr. Seuss fan, you or the person you read the book will enjoy it a lot. Also, you can check "Who Was Dr. Seuus?" for a more information based book about Dr. Seuss. Enjoy!
Illustrations of the book are very good. The illustrator used vivid colors. So it gives the enthusiasm to read the book. It's eye-catching.
If you or the person you will read this book is a Dr. Seuss fan, you or the person you read the book will enjoy it a lot. Also, you can check "Who Was Dr. Seuus?" for a more information based book about Dr. Seuss. Enjoy!
December 4, 2018
Summary: This story is about how Dr. Seuss wrote The Cat in the Hat. It shows how he had to use a specific list of words in creating this book. It took his over a year to write it, but when he finally did, he couldn't stop writing books to help struggling readers become better readers.
Review: I absolutely loved this book! I loved the way he explained struggling readers to us. He grabbed the readers attention in the way he fell in love with writing. I also really like the illustrations in this book.
I would pair this book with the actual reading of The Cat in the Hat, to show students all the thought and the process that went into writing that story.
Juicy quote: "1954 was a great time to be a kid, unless you were trying to read." This quote can be used to discuss the issue of ability. All students deserve the same rights to learn to read.
Review: I absolutely loved this book! I loved the way he explained struggling readers to us. He grabbed the readers attention in the way he fell in love with writing. I also really like the illustrations in this book.
I would pair this book with the actual reading of The Cat in the Hat, to show students all the thought and the process that went into writing that story.
Juicy quote: "1954 was a great time to be a kid, unless you were trying to read." This quote can be used to discuss the issue of ability. All students deserve the same rights to learn to read.
October 19, 2017
This picture book biography of Theodore (Ted) Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss) explores the challenge he was given to write a beginning reader for first graders that they would enjoy, while only using words from a list of approved words. Describes his creative process, frustrations, and inspirations that led to "The Cat in the Hat." Language and descriptions are age-appropriate while still including enough detail for curious young minds. Illustrations incorporate some art that is in Seuss's style, but just enough to reflect Seuss's influence and to remind the reader what the story is about: what is going on in Seuss's mind.
A fun read for budding authors and artists, as well as a good read around Dr. Seuss's birthday.
Ages: K-4
A fun read for budding authors and artists, as well as a good read around Dr. Seuss's birthday.
Ages: K-4
March 14, 2018
Judy Sierra and her Illustrator , Kevin Hawkes wrote a wonderful "Biography" of how Dr. Seuss got started writing his "Cat In The Hat," and "Green Eggs And Ham" books, and al of those which followed. I found it interesting that these books first came out in 1954. However, it surprises me that when I was in first grade back in 1964, that my teacher taught us reading using the "Dick, Jane, and Sally" books rather than book by Dr. Seuss.
I'm happy though that I supplemented my nieces and my nephew's reading with Dr. Seuss. They are now 16, almost 18, 19, 20, almost 22, and 25 years-old and they can all still recite "The Cat In The Hat" by memory as if they just read it yesterday.
Great Books for all ages! And a lot of fun!
Laura Cobrinik
Boonton Township, NJ
I'm happy though that I supplemented my nieces and my nephew's reading with Dr. Seuss. They are now 16, almost 18, 19, 20, almost 22, and 25 years-old and they can all still recite "The Cat In The Hat" by memory as if they just read it yesterday.
Great Books for all ages! And a lot of fun!
Laura Cobrinik
Boonton Township, NJ
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