Parents' Guide to

The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That

By Emily Ashby, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 3+

Funny feline makes natural science fun for kids.

TV PBS Kids Kids' Animation 2010
The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

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age 3+

Based on 14 parent reviews

DigiGoggleHeadBoy
DigiGoggleHeadBoy Parent
August 25, 2018
age 2+
For 2- 6 year olds. Meet neighbors 6 year old Nick and 5 year old Sally, as they go on wacky adventures with their friend The Cat, Fish, and of coarse The Things. It teaches us science and exploration skills, that will make your kid want to explore the world around them. You should defiantly check it out! It's a win for kids! Check out their website @ http://pbskids.org/catinthehat

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1 person found this helpful.
Lindsay R.
Lindsay R. Parent of 1-year-old
November 10, 2016
age 2+

"Your mother will not mind at all if you do"

That line is creepy, right? The show is fine, my baby son loves the crazy, peppy songs, and sometimes I even learn something about biology. My issue is the concept of "permission" in this show. They make quite a production of one or both of the children asking their mothers permission to go with the Cat to some ridiculous-sounding place after the cat encourages them to ask, saying "your mother will not mind at ALL if you do." The mothers, as far as I can tell, think the children are playing an imaginary game of some sort, based on the silliness of what they ask. "Mom! Can we go up in the bluey-blue sky to look for a puddle?" The mom, always in the middle of some domestic chore, laughs it off in an outta-the-mouths-of-babes sort of way, and says "Sure!" The moms never even meet this Cat, who could be the creepy, pedophile neighbor in a cat suit for all we know. Anyway, bottom line: mostly cute, mostly educational show. Needs to come up with a less creepy, less deceptive way for the children to ask permission to go on an adventure in a strange vehicle with a strange adult figure.
1 person found this helpful.
See all 14 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Dr. Seuss's famous feline sets aside his mischievous ways to teach kids about science, nature, and the thrill of exploring the world around them when he returns to the screen in THE CAT IN THE HAT KNOWS A LOT ABOUT THAT. In each story, Cat (voiced by Martin Short) and his friends Nick (Jacob Ewaniuk) and Sally (Alexa Torrington) identify a science-related question and start following clues to find an answer. Of course their travels aren't without unexpected twists and turns, especially when Thing 1 and Thing 2 tag along for the ride.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (14 ):
Kids say (22 ):

Science class has never been as much fun for kids as it is with the Cat in the Hat leading the charge -- he makes it a joy to learn. With his guidance, kids are introduced to concepts like migration, animal classification, and nocturnal behavior, and the characters approach the discovery process with enthusiasm as they piece together clues that will lead them to the answers to their questions.

The great news is that kids will be so absorbed by the Cat's antics and gadgets in The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That -- including a shrinkamadoodle and bigamabooble that let the characters change size at will to better explore even the smallest nook and cranny -- that they won't even mind that they're watching "educational" TV.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the natural world. Kids: What aspects of nature interest you the most? What do you like to learn about animals? What did you learn from The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That?

  • Kids: What questions about science do you have? How would you go about investigating them? What would you expect to learn?

  • What are your favorite things to learn about? What books, games, and other resources do you like to learn from? How do TV shows like this one help you learn?

TV Details

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