The Cat in the Hat Comes Back

Written by Dr. Seuss

Narrated by Kelsey Grammer

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The riotously funny follow-up to The Cat in the Hat!

COMING IN 2026—A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING BILL HADER AS THE CAT IN THE HAT

The Cat is back—along with some surprise friends—in this beloved classic by Dr. Seuss.

Dick and Sally have no time to play. It's winter and they have mountains of snow to shovel. So when the Cat comes to visit, he decides to go inside and to take a bath. No problem, right? Wrong! The pink ring he leaves in the tub creates is a very BIG pink problem when he transfers the stubborn stain from the bath onto Mother's white dress, Dad's shoes, the floors, the walls, and ultimately, over the entire yard full of snow! Will the kids EVER clean up the mess? You bet they will, with some help from the Cat and his helpers: 26 miniature cats (AKA Little Cats A-Z) who live inside the Cat's hat!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
• Release date: Jun 27, 2006
• ISBN: 9780739339329

Dr. Seuss

Theodor Seuss Geisel – better known to his millions of fans as Dr. Seuss – was born the son of a park superintendent in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1904. After studying at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, and later at Oxford University in England, he became a magazine humorist and cartoonist, and an advertising man. He soon turned his many talents to writing children’s books, which included the creation of the one and only ‘The Cat in the Hat’, published in 1957.

Reviews for The Cat in the Hat Comes Back

[word.owl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Cat in the Hat--you guessed it--comes back. After he eats cake in the family's bathtub, the little boy points out that he's left a big pink ring. The cat cleans it up with "mother's white dress," and a chain of dirty pink things ensues while he has to pull successively smaller, alphabetically-named little cats out of his hat to continue the clean-up.

I actually enjoy this more than the original, maybe because he starts trying to help clean up from the beginning, so he seems less sinister.

At first I felt a bit uncomfortable that eventually the little cats are cleaning up the snow outside with pop-guns (like do we really need more guns in our kids' books, even pop guns?) but it's really a minor feature of the story.

I love reading the little boy's dialogue when he's yelling at the cat. "Cat! You get out!"

That's another contrast with the first book--in the first one, the kids seem pretty powerless to stop what the cat is doing, but in this book, right off the bat the kid is setting a boundary and letting the cat know he means business. Maybe I like reading that because sometimes I'm not that great at setting boundaries!

It's CAThartic.

[therebelprince · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The rare exception to the claim that a sequel can't be as great as the original.

[lycomayflower · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Of the two, I remember The Cat in the Hat Comes Back much better from childhood readings. Something about the illustrations of that pink stain and the way it just keeps getting transferred from one thing to another--and getting bigger and bigger--has stuck with me, almost sharply. And then it finally gets taken care of through a kind of magical absurdity. I find this slightly unsettling now, and I suspect/half remember that I did as a kid too. The idea of a problem that resists efforts to fix it and just gets worse when you try *and* which the story doesn't tell you how to deal with in any kind of replicable way--look, I know it's a fun, silly kid's book designed to reinforce the alphabet and aid early reading, but it's kind of anxiety making, I have to say.

[adaq-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

 Not nearly as delightful as the first Cat in the Hat. Although it is sort of funny how the pink gets smaller and read harder to clean up the more they try to work with it.

[expatscot-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good, but not quite as good as the original

[madelynmaxwell · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The second part of the classic by Dr. Seuss. This book is fun and filled with lots of adventure, problem solving, and rhyming. This book would be great to show students an example of rhyming and repetition.

[lquilter_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

 Not nearly as delightful as the first Cat in the Hat. Although it is sort of funny how the pink gets smaller and read harder to clean up the more they try to work with it.

[sulick1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I liked this book a lot because it had several engaging components. First, the plot was relatable to readers because it started out with two children outside together. If students read “The Cat in the Hat”, they would also enjoy this book because they would already have knowledge about the plot and characters and be more likely to read it. However, readers would still enjoy the book because young children love animals, so to create a talking cat as the main character would instantly draw readers in. Second, the illustrations are full of action, color, and animation. They supplement the story line and allow readers to fully experience a crazy story about a cat messing up their entire house. Next, the writing is very simple, yet catchy due to the rhyming. For example, one page reads,” Then that cat went right in! He was up to no good! So I rain in after as fast as I could!” Students are able to use not only context clues, but rhyme to figure out some of the words which would encourage them to be fluent readers. Finally, this book subtly includes a lesson about the alphabet. The Cat in the Hat pulls out his little helpers, little Cats A-Z, to help clean up the mess he made. This supplements what students are learning about letters in the alphabet and adds a different dimension to the details of the story. The central message of this story is that teamwork is important when accomplishing things.

[nmhale_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Sally and her brother are shoveling snow, when who should appear on the scene but that rascally Cat in the Hat. The kids know better this time, though; they warn the Cat away, because they are too busy to play. The Cat strolls into their house anyway. He decides to eat pink cake while taking a bath with the faucet and shower running. Sally's brother runs in and discovers that the Cat has left an ugly pink ring in the tub. Of course, the Cat in the Hat always has an answer. He'll just clean the tub with their mother's white dress. Then he has to clean the dress with their father's white shoes, and the shoes with the white rug, and the madness continues until the snow is completely stained pink. What will the Cat in the Hat do about that?

The Cat still has a few tricks up his sleeve, or his hat, as the case may be. With the help of little cats A through Z, he cleans away all the pink and wanders away, exhorting the kids to call on him if they ever need help with pink spots. The story is comical, and told with Seuss's flair for rhyme and zaniness. Everything works out in the end, thanks to (and no thanks to) the pesky Cat in the Hat. I like this story, although I think the first Cat in the Hat book is better, and I have a problem with the fact that the little cats use guns to shoot the pink snowballs. At least they are only cap guns, but I still don't like that message. My girls enjoy both books equally, and I know that the linguistic gymnastics and silly story line are the main draw. Seuss was a master, and his books always please.

[sdpugh_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story of two children at home when the cat in the hat returns for a visit. A humorous story with the cat messing up the house, and just as quickly cleaning everything before the mother returns. Good book to teach poetry and words that rhyme.

[mmarcel2011 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Cat in the Hat in a wonderful story for all students. This would be a great way to introduce running words. This book also uses small words that students can read themselves.

[peaceandemily · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is hilarious. It could teach so lessons anywhere form doing your chores right the firs time to even lying and getting to deep in the the lie you keep having to make up for it.

[donnamcfarland · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was my favorite Dr. Seuss book when I was a kid. As a parent with a son learning how to read, I am even more astounded at what the author was able to accomplish with simple one syllable words and perfect meter.

[michelleraphael · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A rainy day is day for this cat to play. The cat in the hat comes to spice up two children's lives with his antics. Does he leave their house in ruins or will everything be okay?

[caitsm · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The classic tale that all kids love. A wonderful rhyming book about a cat who comes and wrecks two kids house and they have to hurry and clean before their mom comes home! Its super fun to read because of the fantastic rhymes!

[pierce2_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was my favorite book!

[seoulful · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A book that doesn't grow stale as you read it to each child and then to each grandchild over a span of years. A book whose success started a revolution in the format of children's books for a generation that sought punchier, light-hearted books. A book that will still be enjoyed if we are around to greet a great-grandchild or beyond.

[carolina500 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

classic!! great book!

[mrslee_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is fun, but not our favorite Seuss. The cat was always a bit distasteful in my eyes.

[riley1878 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

i liked this alright but the cat in the hat is always acting bad and then trying to hide it from the parents...