Are you bored of the humdrum, with nothing to do?
Yes, even grown-ups, we're talking to you!
The Cat in the Hat has some handy advice
Like, "make a big mess!" and "never think twice!"

In the year '57 (ye olden times),
The Cat in the Hat wowed us with rhymes.
Teaching children to read with primers was boring.
Dick and Jane every day had school kids all snoring.

With The Cat in the Hat, reading got a big Seussing,
Its rhymes were so fresh and the pictures seducing.
The tale, it's a classic: two kids all alone,
when a friendly cat visits since Mother's not home.

He teaches them how to break all sorts of rules
Shenanigans you wouldn't dare pull at school.
Some teachers resisted, afraid kids would riot.
Because it's so messy, their schools wouldn't buy it.

But now that sweet Cat has his own company. 
His face is the logo for the whole world to see.
Say, what about movies? The Cat made those, too.
And here is a link. (You know what to do.)

Now hurry! Skedaddle! Get ready for laughter!
Messes are swell—just clean them up after.

You want your kids to be productive members of society, right? But you don't want them to turn into stiff ol' bots who don't know how to have fun. Sound like a Catch-22? Well, it doesn't have to be.

The Cat in the Hat celebrates fun and—get this—responsibility. The children in the story want to have a rollicking good time, but they also want to stay safe and respect their mother's wishes.

Sounds a lot like… real life. After all, learning to balance pleasure and responsibility is one of the toughest lessons we learn as we grow up. The Cat was around to help us grow up, and now he's around for our kids, too. Now that's a classic.

Why Your Kids Should Care

Reading? BO-RING.

Yeah, we know. Kids get bored easily. And we can't blame them—they have to abide by all kinds of rules, and they don't have much control over what they can and can't do. If Sally and her brother had a car and a bankroll, they could drive to Vegas and party. But alas, like your kids, they just resort to pouting.

Just like Dr. Seuss had to write The Cat in the Hat using only a handful of specific words (check out "Writing Style" for more), the kids in the story kids have to learn to amuse themselves with what they've got.

Lucky for Seuss's kids, they've got a talking fish and a cat with some major party tricks up his sleeves. Lucky for your kids, they've got Seuss.