The Cat in the Hat

Book: The Cat in the Hat                                       Author:  Dr. Seuss

Wow!  Before starting this book and reading the questions asked about it in assocation with creating this blog, I had no idea how controversial Dr. Suess could be.  While I had never read The Lorax, I began doing some research last night and discovered that his book was actually banned by some schools, back in the 70's.  I had no idea.  Still , The Cat in the Hat is still as popular today as it was back in 1957 when it was very copyrighted.  My seven-year-old daughter loves it and was so excited when she found out that I was actually going to read it and write a blog about it. 

I must admit that I have never been a true fan of Suess's books.  As a child, I found that difficult and confusing; still, my children are the exact opposite and love his books.  Although I am sure some contemporary books do exist which provoke the same tension as that presented in The Cat and the Hat, I haven't read one yet.  Still, I do believe that many children's book today over didactic, teaching moral lessons, but many of them are more subtle in today's time, so that every thing remains "politically correct" and unoffensive.  Still, I admire Suess's ability to question the "norm" and allow children to step outside of their comfort zone to decide, on their own, what they would do in a similar situation.  When reading this book, I always ask my daughter, "What would you have done?".  Her response is always, "I wouldn't have told!"  Back when this book was first written, although most children would have agree with her, most of them would not have admitted it.  Nowadays, I believe that more children have become more independent and free-thinking and are confident enough in both themselves and their parents to admit this truth.  I wouldn't have admitted this to my mother, but I'm glad my child is willing.

While The Cat in the Hat may be one of Suess's best known books, Oh! The Place You Will Go!  is by far my favorite of his stories.  In fact, when my son graduated from high school, a relative gave him the the book, and he really seemed to appreciate it.  Dr. Suess's books, although didactic in nature, still appeal to both children and adults alike because they are fun, crazy, and exciting.  I guess that's why they never appealed much to me as a child; I was always serious and obedient, always wanting to please, always wanting to be good, never really having the confidence to step out and be who I really was.   I'm glad my children aren't like that.  Maybe, Dr. Suess helped them.  Thanks, Dr. Suess!

Newbery Award Winners

A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park and Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins.


The two novels which I chose to complete this first blog over for my Newbery Award Winners are A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park and Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins.

First, the two of these books with which I am most familiar is A Single Shard, since I have actually taught this book to a class I had a few years ago.  Although I really enjoyed this book, most of my students simply hated it.  I taught this to a seventh grade class that I had.  Most of the students I had in this class were top students with above-average reading levels.  However, they seemed not to be able to relate to this book at all, and in fact, complained so much about reading it that I haven't taught it since.

Still, as for me, I really enjoyed reading this book.  The character development was superior, and the plot was not at all draggy; this was a very fast read for me. Once, I started it, I couldn't put it down.  Since I have children myself, I have a tendency to think about my own kids when reading about others, so I couldn't help but picture my own children when reading about the little orphan, Tree-ear.  I even found myself relating to Crane-man--the way he cared so much for Tree-ear and sacrificed what little he had to give him. 

In addition, I really believe that most children could relate to this book if they would just give it a chance.  Maybe, the way I taught the book caused my students to dislike it so much, but I really don't understand why they did.   Perhaps, they were too immature to appreciate what Tree-ear was going through or just simply couldn're relate to his plight at all.  However, after visiting this book again, I think I'm going to give it a second try and attempt to teach it again this year.  I really believe this novel can show children that even when failure seem inevitable, they should never stop trying and never give up hope for a better tomorrow.

The other Newbery book I read is Criss Cross by Perkins.  Honestly, I didn't get into this book and didn't really like it until I read the last two chapters.  However, these last two made the entire book worth reading for me; I even cried.   I feel that so many young people could relate to Debbie and her feelings that something "just isn't quite right" about her.  I see this everyday in my middle school students.  So many of them are just on the edge of discovering who they are and what they want to do with themselves that they feel that they don't fit in or belong anywhere, that something just isn't "quite right" about them.  I even remember feeling this myself when I was their age.  Who am I kidding?  I even have those moments today as a adult, so I was really able to connect to the characters in this book.  Also, the last part, when Debbie and Hector just seem to barely miss each other, made me catch my breath and almost scream.  I wanted them to see each other so badly. This part also made me wonder if I ever missed something like this in my own life; but, of course, I'll never know, which is probably for the best. 

After reading both of these Newbery Award winners, I can see why they are both exemplary books for children.  Both books try to show kids that even though childhood may seem lonely, many other kids are experiencing the same emotions and issues that they themselves are feeling and that they shouldn't give up.  They have a whole, new, long life in front of them full of opportunites that they may not be even able to imagine.  How exciting!