Hat Cat

Two children sitting at home on a rainy day meet the cat in the hat who shows them some tricks and games.

Two children sitting at home on a rainy day are visited by the cat who shows them some tricks and games.

When Hat the cat’s doting human friend doesn’t come home for a while, will a young visitor offer the lonely kitty a taste of freedom? A gentle, touching story for cat lovers of all ages. Ever since the old man found a little kitten under his hat, the two have been the best of friends. There are always plenty of kitty rubs and food and talk to go around. Every day, Hat watches as the old man goes outside to sit and feed the squirrels with nuts he places on top of his hat. But Hat the cat is not allowed to join him. What if Hat ran away, or chased the squirrels—or worse? Then the old man leaves and does not come back the next day, or the one after that. When people come by to take care of Hat until the old man returns, will one little girl give Hat the chance he’s been hoping for? Troy Wilson’s tender prose, along with Eve Coy’s charmingly detailed illustrations, brings readers a sweet story about companionship, love, and trust.

Racism is resilient, duplicitous, and endlessly adaptable, so it is no surprise that America is again in a period of civil rights activism. A significant reason racism endures is because it is structural: it's embedded in culture and in institutions. One of the places that racism hides-and thus perhaps the best place to oppose it-is books for young people. Was the Cat in the Hat Black? presents five serious critiques of the history and current state of children's literature tempestuous relationship with both implicit and explicit forms of racism. The book fearlessly examines topics both vivid-such as The Cat in the Hat's roots in blackface minstrelsy-and more opaque, like how the children's book industry can perpetuate structural racism via whitewashed covers even while making efforts to increase diversity. Rooted in research yet written with a lively, crackling touch, Nel delves into years of literary criticism and recent sociological data in order to show a better way forward. Though much of what is proposed here could be endlessly argued, the knowledge that what we learn in childhood imparts both subtle and explicit lessons about whose lives matter is not debatable. The text concludes with a short and stark proposal of actions everyone-reader, author, publisher, scholar, citizen- can take to fight the biases and prejudices that infect children's literature. While Was the Cat in the Hat Black? does not assume it has all the answers to such a deeply systemic problem, its audacity should stimulate discussion and activism.

Colorful pictures and sentences explain word meanings.

A glimpse into life in an Israeli neighborhood featuring a boy, a cat and a construction site

A raucous, rhyming tale that will have children (and adults) in fits of laughter! Cat is sitting on his mat when Rat arrives wearing a very nice hat. Cat wants Rat’s hat and will stop at nothing to get it. But when Bat appears wearing a fancy cravat, well, what could be better than that? Chaos ensues as both Cat and Rat decide they must have Bat’s fancy cravat for themselves! This hilarious picture book is bursting with comic capers, slapstick antics, tongue-twisting text, and vibrant neon artwork.

A fun and creative book for cat lovers, crafters, and pop-culture devotees alike. Following the success of recent bestsellers like Grumpy Cat and How to Tell if Your Cat is Plotting to Kill You, TINY HATS ON CATS combines adorable photos of cats with author Adam Ellis's hilarious anecdotes, but also has a fun DIY element: Readers will learn how to craft colorful and creative feline headgear from the book's step-by-step instructions. With a portable trim size and a beautifully designed interior, TINY HATS ON CATS is the perfect gift for every animal lover or for any reader who wants their cat to feel just a little more fancy.