Children's Books: The Cat in the Hat Beginner Book: Dictionary in French Review
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The Cat in the Hat Beginner Book: Dictionary in French Review


The Cat in the Hat Beginner Book: Dictionary in French  Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
Author(s): Theodor Seuss Geisel, P. D. Eastman

ISBN: 0394810635    EAN: 9780394810638
Binding: Hardcover
Pages: 133
Reading Level: Ages 4-8

Average Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Retail Price: $15.95
Online Sale Price:
A silly book with a serious purpose—to help children recognize, remember, and really enjoy using a basic vocabulary of 1350 words. Written and illustrated by P. D. Eastman—with help from the Cat (Dr. Seuss)—this decades-old dictionary pairs words with pictures that carry their meaning, making it simple enough even for nonreaders to understand. A wacky cast of characters reappears throughout the book, making this perhaps the only dictionary in the world that is actually fun to read!


User Submitted The Cat in the Hat Beginner Book: Dictionary in French Reviews


August 29, 2008
A nice Dr Seuss book, but not a dictionary
This is a cute book and my 3 y/o likes it, but I was expecting it to be more like, well, a dictionary. Some pictures have no definition at all, just the word above it, and many of the definitions are along the lines of "babies do it" for the word "cry" It's also illustrated by PD Eastman, not Dr. Seuss.

So all in all, if you want another Dr. Seuss/PD Eastman book, you'll be pleased, but if you're thinking, "Hey! A preschool dictionary, how cool!" you'll probably be disappointed.

August 12, 2008
The "Politically Correct" Version
In any format this is a great book, but it's not the one I had as a kid. I do have an older edition for comparison, and it's fun to guess which of the politically questionable pictures have been replaced in this slightly revised version. No more Native American or Eskimos caricatures, weapons or fighting. Christmas changed to Hanukkah for the "Holiday" entry. Now that I have a young daughter I can appreciate the reasons for these changes, but it's nice to have the "classic" for nostalgia reasons.

June 25, 2008
Great teaching aid for kids
This book is effectively an ABC for kids. Published in the 1960s it still provides a valuable teaching aid to get young children learning their alphabet. Each letter has anassociated series of words and story attached to it. With characters such as "Aaron" the alligator, and Abigail a girl, simple sentences are conveyed with quirky illustrations to help children learn various concepts. From "Abigail crosses the road" to "Aunt Ada likes Lions" the book leads the young reader from A through to Z where we learn that "Zero is very cold for zebras". A fun way for any child to learn to read.

February 26, 2008
A very fun way for children to learn to read and to develop a love of reading
While all of the books with the Dr. Seuss label can be considered essential reading for children, this one is more essential than most of the others. In terms of books used to help children learn to read, I found it to be unequaled in value. I still have the copy my daughter read and it is worn to the point where the spine is falling apart. Not through misuse, but from being opened and the pages flipped over and over again.
In the beginning, I read it to her, but it did not take long until she was sitting by herself looking through the pages and saying the words. Each word is accompanied by an illustration and in most cases a brief sentence where the word is used. Many of the illustrations incorporate the usual Seuss silliness, such as the green alligator carrying a sign stating, "I am a horse." All of which is designed to give the meaning of the word "true."
One of the best books I have ever seen to help children learn to read, I cannot include enough superlatives to express my opinion of it.


June 18, 2007
Fantastic, Just fantastic
I got this book 32 years ago when my first daughter was born. We began "playing with" the dictionary when she was around 1, and it was such a source of laughs for both of us. She did learn her letters. At 18 months , while walking through a marked parking lot, she surprised my friends by saying "Mommy, standing on "A". I gave the dictionary full credit!

Now this same person is expecting her first child. The Dictionary is on it's way to her house right now.

March 8, 2007
The Cat in The Hat Begginer Book Dictionary
Excellent book. My three-year old learned all of her letters in a fun and amuzing way. She was intrigued by the pictures and the activities the characters were perfoming. I highly recommend it for any preschooler.

Kristina, Mother of Tiffany

December 23, 2005
An excellent tool in language development, colorful and lively with fun characters
This Dr. Seuss and P.D. Eastman dictionary was one of my favorite books as a child and it is now a favorite of my two-year-old son. Unlike the static illustrations of many other children's dictionaries, Eastman's colorful drawings are lively and always suggest a story. Sometimes my son and I will read portions of the dictionary straight-through, and other times we will randomly browse the book, discussing various pictures as they catch our eyes. Many of the entries actually tie together into humorous narratives. There are also a number of recurring characters, such as the bad baby who manages to spill his food, spill his drink, draw on the wall, paint on the wall, and float away in a boat, Aaron the Alligator and his unfortunate airplane, and oddballs Aunt Ada and Uncle Uriah. However, the four look-alike boys (Jerry, Joe, Jack, and James) who make their appearances in numerous entries were my personal favorites when I was a kid. Of course, Dr. Seuss injects his usual silliness into the text (e.g., "In our backyard we have a hippopotamus" and "A nest full of zyxuxpf birds" are, likely, his touches), but Eastman's drawings keep the book reasonably well-anchored in the known universe.

As other reviewers have noted, the book's illustrations and text have generally aged well, though some of the references may perplex young readers: home movie projectors, milkmen, phonographs, typewriters, and popguns. Also, there are references to "American Indians" and "Eskimos" that no longer sit with us as well they once did. Finally, some potential buyers might be misled by the title, as the Cat in the Hat character does not actually appear anywhere within the book. Rather, the illustrations are entirely from the hand of P.D. Eastman.

A fine gift for a toddler or preschooler, this big book is fun to explore and is an excellent tool in language development. No preschool or kindergarten class should be without a copy or two of this classic.

November 26, 2005
My favourite book
This was my absolute favourite book as a wee one. My parents told me I stole the book off my brother even before I was able to read and refused to give it back even as a teenager. I had the English-French Edition. I am ashamed to admit it but my french appears to be limited to what was available in the book some 35 years later despite 4 years of public school French.

I have recently bought every child I know the English-Spanish version. And I found some English-French ones for my nephews in Canada. THis book is worth every penny.

February 25, 2005
This book will have a long life in your home.
We used this book when my child was one to help him learn how to talk; now that he is four we are using it again to help him learn how to read. I can't recommend this book highly enough. The illustrations are clever, inventive and amusing and it has a sly sense of humor throughout. A true classic; may it never go out of print.

November 30, 2004
My family's favorite book!!
My husband had this book as a child and loved it. My mother-in-law sent it to my son when he was one and by the time he was 2 it was his favorite book. At age 5 when he started reading, he once again became interested in the dictionary to help him identify more words. Now my 20 month old daughter is hooked on the book and is reading it to my husband and I. I'm amazed at the number of words she can tell us just by pointing to the pictures; however, we have spent many, many hours reading this to her at her request. She is also able to identify many letters of the alphabet already and I mainly attribute it to this book since I don't believe in pushing kids this young to learn the alphabet.


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