The Fat Cat Sat on the Mat

Written by Nurit Karlin

Narrated by Uncredited

This funny rhyming story starring a big orange tabby cat helps kids learn to read! Fat Cat Sat on the Mat is a proven winner—welcome at home or in the classroom—as it makes kids laugh.

The fat cat sat on the mat. "Get off!" said the rat. But the fat cat just sat. Will the rat get the fat cat off the mat? Enjoy reading this silly story aloud for maximum effect!

Find out if rat can get cat off the mat in this funny, phonetic Level One I Can Read that's perfect for kids learning to sound out words and sentences. With repeating sounds and words, beginning readers will grow their reading confidence as they laugh about the cat and the rat and their sibling-style squabble.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Jul 15, 2008
• ISBN: 9780061694189

Nurit Karlin

Nurit Karlin is the author of another I Can Read Book, The Fat Cat Sat on the Mat, as well as Little Big Mouse, The Dream Factory, and the Tooth Witch. She lives in New York City.

Reviews for The Fat Cat Sat on the Mat

[dreamer2000_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Simple story easy to teach children to read this book because there is a lot of "at" ending words in this book. pictures help go along with the story. Simply drawing but a good story that I think will get a childs attention

[alexandra1600 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Kids love this funny, rhyming tale of a cat, rat, bat, and of course the mat.

[t1bclasslibrary · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The fat cat wants to sit on the mat and the rat hates the cat and wants it off. Meanwhile the witch reappears and says the mat doesn’t belong to the rat, so the cat is pleased and leaves.

[dbhutch_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The cat sits on the mat. A rat comes and says that's my mat and the cat would not move . It is a rhyming book.

[mduval7 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Fat Cat Sat on the Mat is all about thinking through a problem and finding a solution to the problem that works out for many. I enjoyed this book for a few reasons but its also a book that was close to be as a child, but also the characters thought process and actions. I really enjoyed the art style used in this book, the characters look and feel more like people then animals at times, especially Rat and Bat. The book also makes facial expressions very helpful to understand the characters, from the anger of Rat to the nonchalant look of Cat. Another aspect of the book that I like was the language used, the rhyming and also the simplicity is good for patterns and early readers. The main characters themselves all rhyme with each other, Cat, Rat, Bat, Hat, Mat. This aids in the child ability to predict the next word when first starting to read and aid in their growth as a reader.

[kbrash1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In my opinion, this book is average, but the ending was a surprise. The text serves a purpose for younger readers and activities involving rhyming, and I like the use of rhyming language in the book. For example, this text uses rhyming to provide endearing humor throughout the story: “Wilma loves her pet rat. She calls the rat ‘my little brat.’” The characters in this book (the witch and her pet cat, bat, rat and hat), are wild and likable, each with their own individual, humorous personality. I also enjoyed the personification of the hat. The illustrations in this book are not outstanding, but I do enjoy the softness of the colors and the watercolor style because I think that it relates well to the story. The ending, in my opinion, was unexpected. For example, I expected the cat to be taught a lesson about being greedy. However, in the end I discovered a surprising big idea: it is not wise to waste your time trying to control the actions of others.

[mackenzietimbs · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In my opinion this is an adorable book! It follows Wilma the witch and her animals, the fat cat and pet rat. The story is engaging and uses onomatopoeia phrases such as "pit-a-pat" and "rat-a tat" to help readers follow the story. The illustrations are wonderful and add context to the story. An example of this being the fat cat saying "No , I won't" and then the cat looking defiant in the illustration. You can tell that the cat is serious by the pictures. The big idea of this book is that the answer to your problems are often simple. After the rat got upset at the cat for sitting of his mat, the witch shared that the mat was never the rat's to begin with, solving their argument.