The Annotated Cat: Under the Hats of Seuss and His Cats

by Philip Nel

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.


From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Nonfiction, Childrens, Books About Books

192 pages, Library Binding

First published January 9, 2007

About the author

Books include Keywords for Children's Literature Second Edition (co-edited with Lissa Paul and Nina Christensen, NYU Press, 2021), Was the Cat in the Hat Black?: The Hidden Racism of Children's Literature and the Need for Diverse Books (Oxford UP, 2017), Crockett Johnson and Ruth Krauss: How an Unlikely Couple Found Love, Dodged the FBI, and Transformed Children's Literature (UP Mississippi, 2012), Keywords for Children's Literature (co-edited with Lissa Paul, NYU Press, 2011), Tales for Little Rebels: A Collection of Radical Children's Literature (co-edited with Julia Mickenberg, NYU Press, 2008), The Annotated Cat: Under the Hats of Seuss and His Cats (Random House, 2007), Dr. Seuss: American Icon (Continuum, 2004), The Avant-Garde and American Postmodernity: Small Incisive Shocks (UP Mississippi, 2002), J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter Novels: A Reader's Guide (Continuum, 2001), and Crockett Johnson's Barnaby (five volumes, co-edited with Eric Reynolds, Fantagraphics, 2013-2024).

Reviews

[Robert Beveridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

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. ****

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I appreciated the felicitous feline treatment this book provides of Dr. Seuss and his Cat. For someone of my generation who is not steeped in the rhythms and flows of poetry, it was enjoyable to be made aware of the sophistication of structures such as anapestic and dactylic dimeters (when all I can remember generally is iambic pentameter) -- and how they lend greater power to the verses. It was also interesting to learn of the battle Dr. Seuss went through to modernize early reading practices that was a point of much educational focus, and to see the connection in the advertising I grew up with (Hooked on Phonics) that was a conscious shift away from the vocabulary-driven method of the 1st half of the 20th Century. I couldn't resist a smile when the author referenced the use of chiasmus in the Cat in the Hat. While Dr. Seuss may have had moments of not wanting to be taken too seriously, his life's labor is worthy of it, and this book provides a good window into the making of an iconic masterpiece.

[Ron Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's extremely thorough. Maybe a little too much. It's written more for grad school experts than regular folks. It can also get a little silly at times trying to explain away the deeper meaning of things.

[Lorie LovesBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative, I learned a lot about cats and hats and Dr Seuss and definitely want to read more Annotated books. I have always preferred The Cat in the Hat to The Cat in the Hat Comes Back, but now I have a better appreciation of the second book.

[Joy Barnett]

Name: Joy Barnett
Type: Annotated Bibliography
Title: The Annotated Cat: Under the Hat of Seuss and his Cats
Call Number: 813.52 Nel
Brief description: The book lists all of Seuss’ works including sketches and his political cartoons. Under each listing, the author explains the history of the piece, any adaptations, as well as significant analysis of the piece.
Reviewed:
Cooper, I. (2007, Feb.). [Review of book The annotated cat: Under the hat of Seuss and his cats]. Booklist Online. Retrieved from http://www.booklistonline.com/The-Ann....
Criteria: Scope: The book features all of Seuss’ major works, including some sketches and political cartoons. The topic of the book may be narrow, as it about one specific author; it covers a variety of genres the authors has written.
Accuracy/Authority: Philip Neal is an author of non-fiction and reference titles, making him an authority to write a bibliography. The author proves his authority by covering in depth a wide variety of writing by Dr. Seuss.
Arrangement/ Presentation: Each entry is title by a piece of writing by Dr. Seuss, and then the author summarizes and analyzes the piece. Colored photographs accompany some entries.
Relation to other works: The collection does not include any other works authored by Dr. Seuss or Neal. The collection is very limited when it comes to reference bibliographies.
Accessibility/ Diversity: Students of all grades will be attracted to the text because of its subject matter, however the language in the text is a little bit advanced, which could make it a difficult read for ELL or lower level readers.
Cost: $30
Nel, P. (2007). The annotated cat: Under the hats of Seuss and his cats. Random House Books for Young Readers: New York.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although annotator Phlilip Nel doesn't quite have the rich vein of material in The Cat in the Hat and The Cat in the Hat Comes Back that Martin Gardner did when he annotated Lewis Carroll's Alice books, still, he illuminates. Each two-page spread of Nel's book reproduces two pages of Dr. Seuss on the right page, while the left page comprises annotations and illustrations. We see Seuss reworking his material from colored pencil sketch and typescript to finished product. Nel indicates where the books differ from their incarnations as television programs (the TV versions being much more elaborate in vocabulary and humor); gives samples of Seuss's related work in advertising (it was Seuss who gave us "Quick, Henry, the Flit!") and World War II propaganda; and explains influences (like the Katzenjammer Kids and Rube Goldberg). We also see Seuss recycling his material: the central problem of The Cat in the Hat Comes Back, a stubborn spot of goo that resists all attempts at cleaning, originally appeared in the four-page story for Redbook magazine, "The Strange Shirt Spot."

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reads like a college level study of two of Dr. Seuss's beloved Cat books: The Cat in the Hat and and The Cat in the Hat Comes Back. Original sketches by Seuss are shown alongside the finished pages of the story we all know and love. Influences as well as the time period in which the story were written all add a deeper level of understanding and study to these well known beginning reader titles.

Recommended for adult Seuss fans as this really does read like the Norton Anthologies.

[Anna Smithberger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an absolutely wonderful resource for my presentation on Seuss and his Cat. The introduction gave a ton of useful background, and the annotations (outside of the many about the animated version of the story, because honestly I don't care) were interesting. I like annotated books in general, and this was one I never would have thought I'd end up reading.

[Raelene · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is incredible! Who knew there was so much to a seemingly simple story about a mischevious cat? Seuss is, quite frankly, genius and this annotated version is both a fascinating look at how we've been teaching children to read and a stunningly accurate picture of 1950s-1960s life and times.

[Michael Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book while casually browsing the stacks in the children's section of the library, and wound up absolutely loving it! It's a fascinating look at the creative process (and historical context) under which the two Cat in the Hat books were created.

[Tracey]

813.52 Nel, 2007 - Robert gave 4 stars

[Oriana]

Both my mom and I need this book.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

some good info about the making of the cat in the hat