Comments on: Top 100 Picture Books #36: The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss

By: Philip Nel

Philip Nel — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 15:04:09 +0000

Actually, the Cracked crack-up is sort of interesting. The author has clearly read the story, but has simply jumbled the specifics. He/she is thinking of John Hersey’s article “Why Do Children Bog Down on First ‘R’?” (Life, 1954), but instead substitutes the Houghton Mifflin editor for article’s author and Flesch’s book for Hersey’s article. It’s as if she/he is working from memory. But, as Mark Twain said, over 50% of what you read on the internet is false.

By: Sondy

Sondy — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 15:02:54 +0000

Ah, just thinking about this book starts the sound bites in my brain.

“It is fun to have fun, but you have to know how.”

“That is what the cat said, then he fell on his head….”

“Well, what would you do if your mother asked YOU?”

By: Elizabeth Bird

Elizabeth Bird — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 13:28:06 +0000

Dang. Knew I should have bought Annotated Cat and used it. Mea culpa, Phil. You are the Cat man of record.

By: Philip Nel

Philip Nel — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 03:19:55 +0000

Glad to see this make the list! Alas, the folks at Cracked have their facts a bit cracked. William Spaulding was head of Houghton Mifflin’s Educational Division. The book (not article) Why Johnny Can’t Read was by Rudolf Flesch. The significant article was by John Hersey. The final book has 236 words (not 220). The origin story (by Seuss) is just that — a story. Very likely his sketch of a cat in a stovepipe hat begat the story: in his very first account of writing the book, that’s what he says. Also, images came more readily to him than words did. It is true, however, that his favorite story of the book’s origins is the rhyming-words story. For those who may be interested, The Annotated Cat has more details.