Dr. Seuss' Birthday Chat

March 02, 2000

A chat with Dr. Suess' beloved children's character, The Cat in the Hat, on what would have been the author's 96 birthday.

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DawnCCC: Hello and welcome to our chat with literary legend, The Cat in the Hat! He was there when you were learning to read and is now here to take your questions as part of the Read Across America Chat Series! Welcome to Talk City's EduCenter, Cat In The Hat!

The Cat In The Hat: Hello, I'm the Cat in the Hat! Welcome to the Seuss birthday chat!

DawnCCC: Happy birthday, Cat! Would you mind sharing with us how many candles are on your cake this year?

The Cat In The Hat: This is Dr. Seuss' birthday today and he has 96 candles on his cake today!

DawnCCC: Can you tell us more about the "Read Across America" campaign?

The Cat In The Hat: This is the third year that NEA has celebrated "Read Across America." On a day we celebrate the richness that reading brings to us and we also celebrate the birth date of "my friend" Dr. Seuss!

Mrs. Danz: My students want to know if the cat from "The Cat in the Hat" was based on a real cat. And if so, was it Dr. Seuss' cat?

The Cat In The Hat: No, the cat was not based on a real cat! I'm the one and only "Cat in the Hat!"

Tmiller: Do you like being the main character in Dr. Seuss' books?

The Cat In The Hat: I'm the main character in the "Cat in the Hat" and "The Cat Comes Back" and "The Cat's Quizzer" and those books--I have all kinds of fun--and it's funny! Dr. Seuss wrote many books with main characters like Horton, Sneectches, and don't forget the Grinch!

Alana Moonstar: Do you know the Lorax? What's he like?

The Cat In The Hat: He's much shorter than me--and furry--and crabby. until we all tried a little bit harder to save the trees.

DawnCCC: In the NEA's Read Across America Children's Top 100 Books survey, "Green Eggs and Ham" and "The Cat in the Hat" placed 3rd and 4th. How do you account for their continued success over the decades?

The Cat In The Hat: They're both "the funnest" books to read aloud that I've ever heard of! And they're both full of fun--We both have a sense of order and chaos! Perfectly logical for kids and cats.

Wonderone: Do you have a whole wardrobe of hats--or are you a one hat cat?

The Cat In The Hat: I'm a one hat cat--no doubt about that! I'm also a one headed cat and a one tie cat.

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