Parents' Guide to The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That

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

Common Sense Media Review

Emily Ashby By Emily Ashby , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 3+

Funny feline makes natural science fun for kids.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 3+?

Any Positive Content?

  • The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That Trailer
  • The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That TV Show: Scene #1
  • The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That TV Show: Scene #2
  • The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That TV Show: Scene #3
  • The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That TV Show: Scene #4

Parent and Kid Reviews

See all
age 3+

Based on 14 parent reviews

 

 

See all 14 parent reviews
age 6+

Based on 19 kid reviews

Kids say the show offers a mix of opinions, with some praising it for being educational and fun for younger children, while others strongly criticize it for poor character development, questionable themes, and a lack of real educational value. Common complaints include the show's portrayal of parental neglect, the cat's creepy behavior, and the quality of animation and music detracting from the original charm of the beloved books.

  • educational value
  • character development
  • animation quality
  • parental themes
  • age appropriateness
Summarized with AI
 

 

See all 19 kid 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 ( 19 ):

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

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by

The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That Poster Image

What to Watch Next

See all

Educational TV Shows for Kids

See all

Educational Websites

See all recommended tv lists

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate