Based on Dr. Seuss classic, full of rhymes, songs & sounds.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 5+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
very little
The Fish regularly expresses stress and frustration. The Cat's actions are sometimes reckless, but rarely dangerous. The Cat blasts the Fish off to space in his fishbowl, resulting in fear as he falls back down: "Help! I'm going to crash into the earth!" Scenes depicting the Fish's angst or anger are sometimes ignored or avoided by the Cat deliberately moving onto a different segment of the show.
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No vulgar language or put downs. One character is, "a loud things shut-upper," who emphatically tells everyone and everything that,"It's time to shush!" The Cat calls Thing One and Thing Two, "Such adorable scamps". The Fish says, "I hate making mistakes!" and the Rhyme Detective exclaims, "Shoot!"
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Celebrates the joy of wordplay and rhymes. Episode themes include forgiveness, trust and embracing mistakes. The impact of these lessons is sometimes overshadowed by the basic premise of the show: the chaotic and fun-loving Cat in the Hat repeatedly and hilariously flustering the Fish, who craves order. Some of the humor is at the Fish's expense.
Positive Role Models
some
The Cat loves rhymes, enthusiasm, and fun, but frequently talks over, disregards, and infuriates the grumpy Fish. Other characters, such as Fox in Sox and a "loud-things-shut-upper" are quirky, entertaining, and mostly kind, but fictional. Kid contestants participate in the tongue-twister segment with enthusiasm and laughs instead of competitiveness.
Educational Value
some
Many opportunities to enjoy and learn rhyming. Each episode has an entertaining song about a letter of the alphabet, which sometimes describes how to make the letter's sound(s) and lists many words that begin with it. In a rhyme detective segment, the fictional character always guesses the rhyming word wrong, giving podcast listeners the opportunity to get it right. Some words are defined, like, "monochromatic means only one color," and "trustworthy must mean that someone is worthy of trust." The Cat encourages the Fish to learn a different social or emotional lesson each time, like embracing mistakes or forgiving others.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Cat in the Hat Cast features some of Dr. Seuss' classic characters, like The Cat in the Hat, the Fish, Thing One and Thing Two, and Fox in Sox, played by talented voice actors. With ample sound effects, tons of clever wordplay, catchy original songs, and fast-paced humor, the zany Cat in the Hat entertains listeners with several segments during each 25-minute episode, while consistently agitating the Fish. Songs celebrate letters of the alphabet, and The Cat encourages the Fish to learn to make mistakes, forgive, and trust others. Listeners with sensitivities to loud and abrupt noises should be aware that this podcast can sometimes be a bit busy with sound, which can distract from the story and lessons included in the episodes.
THE CAT IN THE HAT CAST from Wondery and Dr. Seuss Enterprises features the chaotic Cat In the Hat thwarting the Fish's attempts to create a calm and orderly weekly podcast. During the 25-minute episodes, the Cat and other Dr. Seuss characters entertain with segments about rhymes, alphabet letters, and tongue twisters, amidst the Cat's attempts to help the flustered Fish learn to be trusting, forgiving, and less afraid of making mistakes.
Although this podcast hinges on the iffy relationship between the chaotic Cat and unnerved Fish, its joyous mayhem celebrates Dr. Seuss' legacy with pizzazz, and is undeniably entertaining. The Cat in the Hat Cast stands out for its fast-moving humor, relentless wordplay, thorough audio experience, and full theatrical commitment by its voice actors. Adult listeners can also tune in for some laughs, but also to catch the social-emotional lessons and reinforce them with kids, since the more memorable parts of episodes will likely be the sillier moments.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what they learned about in The Cat in the Hat Cast. In all the silliness, did you pick up on any real life lessons or lessons on words and letters?
Did the Cat in the Hat help the Fish learn anything important in this episode? Do you think the Cat in the Hat could learn anything valuable from the Fish?
What rhyme, tongue-twister, or wordplay did you enjoy most? Could you create a song, poem, or rhyme inspired by this episode?
The Cat in the Hat sometimes ignores the Fish's feelings and concerns, often talking over him. Has someone ever done this to you? How did it feel? How can we practice acknowledging other people's feelings and helping them acknowledge our own?
Pricing structure:
Paid, Free (Free to listen, but episodes are available early and ad-free with a subscription to Wondery+ for $4.99/month or $34.99/year, or for $4.99 per month through the Wondery Kids+ channel on Apple Podcasts.)
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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.
By Lauri C. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
