Storybook Heroes No 3: The Cat In The Hat

Storybook Heroes No 3: The Cat In The Hat

NAME The Cat in the Hat

BORN 1957

DEFINING MOMENT It's a cold, wet day and two bored children are gazing out of the window wondering what to do when they hear an ominous bump: "We looked! Then we saw him step in on the mat. We looked! And we saw him. The Cat in the Hat!"

WHY WE LOVE THE CAT IN THE HAT

• His sartorial elegance - that quirky hat and neatly tied neckbow.
• His exuberant confidence and sense of fun have endless appeal for young children (and nostalgic parents), especially his incorrigible naughtiness and penchant for outrageous mischief-making (though he always redeems himself in the end. Just).
• The wacky, witty rhyming texts of the books are perfect for reading aloud, each one packed with excitement and an inherent sense of ensuing chaos.
• When first published, Dr Seuss's style was considered revolutionary. Back then, books for children were designed as textbook to increase skill, not as a pleasurable entertainment for children.
• The crazy quirkiness of the characters, infused with Fifties kitsch charm - you've got to marvel at the brilliant inventive imagination of Dr Seuss (real name Theodore Seuss Geisel).

READ MORE: The Cat In The Hat by Dr Seuss is published by HarperCollins.