Happy Birthday, Cat in the Hat!
NOTE: Today (March 2) marks the 50th birthday of Dr. Seuss' beloved children's classic The Cat in the Hat, and all across the country, children, parents, teachers and others are participating in a "National Read-Aloud" sponsored by the National Education Association.
To help celebrate the occasion, Live at IU asked George Bodmer, professor of English and chair of the English Department at Indiana University Northwest a few questions about the enduring appeal of The Cat in the Hat and its impact on modern children's literature. Bodmer is a recognized authority on children's literature, with a focus on Dr. Seuss and Maurice Sendak. His answers are below.
Though he turns 50 today, the Cat in the Hat remains one of the most endearing characters of children's literature.
Live at IU: Dr. Seuss created The Cat in the Hat in response to a Life magazine article by author John Hershey, in which Hershey challenged Dr. Seuss to write a story that "first graders wouldn't be able to put down." After 50 years, it's safe to say he met the challenge quite well. What is it that's so special about this work and makes it so endearing and enduring?
George Bodmer: First, Dr. Seuss has an irresistable style of drawing; the pictures and the colors are fairly basic, but exhibit great motion and silliness. Likewise, the poetry just rips right along, with a pace which matches the frenetic pace of the story: "I know it is wet/ And the sun is not sunny./ But we can have/ Lots of good fun that is funny!" Finally, in a few pages, the story offers forbidden fun and a just-in-the-nick-of-time save.
LIU: How would you characterize Dr. Seuss' decision to use a vocabulary list of 236 words in writing this book? How successful was he at manipulating these words and still managing to keep his (tiny and adult) readers' attention from beginning to end?
GB: Dr. Seuss looked at the humdrum "see-the-ball" language of elementary readers, and with rhyme and a snappy story successfully used a simple vocabulary to create interest and enjoyment. His infectious rhymes helped considerably. On the other hand, he envisioned that this would be used as a school text, and that didn't work out. As a trade book, it was wildly successful, of course.
LIU: So much has been written about Dr. Seuss, his life, his "American icon" status that sometimes it seems like the primary messages of his works get lost. In your opinion, what is the essential message of The Cat in the Hat?
GB: A brother and sister are stuck home alone on a rainy day; a stranger comes to the door and offers to solve their problem. Though the goldfish tells them they shouldn't let strangers in, they admit the Cat and he wreaks havoc on their home, knocking things about and generally making a mess. At the very last moment before their mother returns, the Cat uses his invention to pick up everything and restore order. When she asks "Did you have any fun?/ Tell me. What did you do?", the book leaves us with this question: "Should we tell her about it?/ Now, what SHOULD we do?/ Well. . . ./ What would YOU do/ If your mother asked YOU?" I know what I would do. And it's not what my mother would have wanted me to do. It's a book that knows we don't always behave.
LIU: How successful is The Cat in the Hat at addressing the quintessential questions of childhood?
GB: As I said, it grants a life and an autonomy to children, acknowledging that they make their own decisions, and can think independently of doing just what they're told.
LIU: How would you describe the impact of The Cat in the Hat on modern children's literature?
GB: Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland (1865) was an extremely popular book which departed from the didactic books of the time, presenting language and childhood in a new way. Alice is rude and arrogant and survives. Alice was extremely influential for all sorts of Victorian writers who were liberated from patterns of writing and behavior. When the baby boomers came along, children were more resilient, less susceptible to childhood diseases (with new antibiotics), and their parents allowed them more leeway. The Cat in the Hat was a shot over the bow, which led to books like Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. Books for children became big business, and The Cat in the Hat led Random House to give Dr. Seuss his own imprint, Beginner Books. Its motto, branded on the covers, is "I CAN READ IT ALL BY MYSELF," promising the parent that buying this book is a gift as well as educational. It was a marketing success, and other publishers, like Harper and Row, began their own lines of branded books for children. Children became a significant market, enthusiastic consumers who wanted The Cat in the Hat Comes Back.
LIU: Thank you, Professor Bodmer!
