The Cat in the Hat is a book that has been read by children for generations. It is the story of two children who are stuck inside on a rainy day with nothing to do while their mother is out. The Cat in the Hat enters and proceeds to do entertaining, but naughty things. The goldfish adamently tells him to stop and leave. The children seem to not know what to do about this Cat who should not be there. Things get worse when the Cat brings in Thing One and Thing Two. The house is nothing but a mess by the time their mother returns. Just as she is about to arrive, the Cat saves the day by doing a miraculous clean up.
Although I have read this book several times before, I had never noticed the condonement of anarchy present in this story. The Cat takes over the household despite the warnings from the fish that everything he is doing defies the mother's rules. The constant ordering of the Cat to leave does no good. I have always thought of the goldfish as the children's conscience. He voices what they know to be right from wrong and encourages them to make this Cat leave because he is not following their mother's rules.
I'm not aware of any contemporary children's books that compare with this same tension felt in The Cat in the Hat. However, I do feel that this book still appeals to children because of the nonsensical actions of the Cat. Children realize he shouldn't be there and the things he's doing are silly. They may be able to relate to not knowing what to do when a voice (this fish in this case) points out that what is going on is bad. I think that Dr. Seuss books are classics and will continue to appeal to children because of the fantasy and rhyming that each book contains.
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