The cat in the hat describes the differences between pure breeds and mutts at the dog show. ( )

This book lives in that gray area between fiction and nonfiction. The Cat in the Hat takes the reader on a tour of the dog show, where he provides TONS of information about different dog breeds, commands, body parts, etc. Although billed as a beginner reader's book, this does not strike me as an "easy reader" at all. The vocabulary used is difficult -- and not just that specific to dogs. Words like "keen" (used TWICE in this book) are not among those learned early on by youngsters. It made for a good read-aloud book and I have to admit that I learned as much about dogs as my niece did. But I wouldn't give this title to a beginning/struggling reader to try to work out; they'd end up more frustrated than anything else.

The chosen title of If I Ran the Dog Show is clearly evocative of Dr. Seuss's If I Ran the Zoo but do not be mistaken, this book contains none of the imaginative whimsy of Seuss story. Beyond the Cat in the Hat and Thing 1 & 2, the illustrations do not scream Seussian either. ( )

I think this was a very neat book to read to my niece. I love to read Cat in the Hat books. This book starts out with a general interdiction about dog sizes and shapes along with different things they can do. Cat in the Hat points out the various parts of a dog to the children in the picture. He uses correct Canine nine terminology to explain the differ points. It goes on to discusses the eye shapes and colors, shapes of their heads, and the diverse types of ears. Next tails are discussed which includes size, shape, and length. The book then talks about the dogs’ coats. They talk about obedience training. They also talk about how dog can communicate with bark, yelp and whimpers. They also to about some of the different breeds and how puppies grow up. They talk about several types of jobs that dogs can do. Teachers can use this book to help increase student vocabulary skills. They can also use this book to help talk about dog especially if there is a therapy dog coming to the classroom to listen to the student read to the dog. ( )

In all honesty, this book should not be a children's book. I felt that this book was slapped together and used the "Cat In The Hat" theme just for marketing purposes. True, it was not written by Doctor Seuss and it shows. Consider first that the illustrations are of the actual Cat in the Hat with a smothering here and there of Thing 1 and Thing 2. Who would pick this up? My guess would be early readers like 2nd through 4th graders tops. And 4th graders would be pushing it as there are so many better more interesting things to read.

First off, it is way too long. Too long of a book 42 pages too long. And it is 42 pages of standard rhymes. When I see the Cat in the Hat, I expect some Seuss-ism. Like using rhymes with words like "Verschlunk" & "Finesk". Silly non sensical words that Dr. Seuss uses to make a rhyme come together. There is none of that here.

I feel that the vocabulary is kind of advanced for a book this type. Words like, "Olfactory" and "Receptors" are used. If an adult is not present by obligation, the reader has a good potential to miss comprehension.

I felt that the font was a tad on the small side, but the balance here is that if they made the fonts any bigger we would have a 100 page book instead of a 43 page one.

And lastly, I felt that the author was trying to give a bullet point to every dog description imaginable. Now, I am a big kid. I was bored with this book midway through. I can see a child' attention span wander easily with this book and easily could be interpreted as work for the child instead of fun.

Bottom line, the book has potential especially with the powerhouse marketing of the Dr. Seuss branding but it really needs a lot of work. ( )

Author: Tish Rabe
Title: If I Ran The Dog Show
Illustrated: Aristides Ruiz and Joe Mathieu
Publisher: Random House
Date: 2012
Pages: 48
Type: Poetry
Summary: The Cat in the Hat shows kids all about dogs. He shows them different types of dogs. The different heights, fur, eyes color. He lets them know how to tell if they are happy or sad. Also talks about the whistle the dogs can only hear.

I liked this book, it is very cute! I think the children will definitely get into this one and it is a great way for them to learn about dogs. I love the illustrations to, very bright and colorful!