The Fat Cat Sat on the Mat (I Can Read Picture Book Series)

Inappropriate

I was disappointed with this book. What appeared to be a wonderful book with rhyming words I ended up returning to the store. The author uses the following words: hate, stupid and brat in the book.

12 out of 16 people found this review helpful.

What a fun, fabulous little book

My four year old loves this book. The rhyming scheme is consistent throughout, it's well metered, and the story is quite amusing for the learning reader. The other reviewer freaked out about words like 'hate' and brat, without elucidating that it was sentences like 'She called her rat my little brat.' and '(the cat) stared at the rat. The rat hates that!' Her review is probably based more on the fact that the story had a witch in it. It's a review that makes me worry about what sort of people are teaching kids if they can't comprehend a book where no word is longer than 8 letters. This is a great little book, and every kid I've seen read it once will read it over and over and over.

5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

Ehhhhh

I read this book be4 i bought it. STUUUUUPPPPIIIIIIIIDDDDDDDD KIDS DO NOT BUY THIS(or parents)

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

This was the farst book I evar raed ;)

Cuteist :) Love it

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

A Brilliant Allegorical Work

The Fat Cat Sat on the Mat is a brilliant allegorical work about the financial crisis and Obama's approach to solving it. The witch represents the American voters, who love the rat (Obama). The fat cat represents (of course) the US investment banking industry. Typically the fat cat sits in a vat (securities industry), but for reasons not mentioned in the book the cat decides to go sit on the mat, which represents the real economy.

Adult readers know, of course, that the bursting housing bubble, subprime mortgage crisis and resulting credit crisis are what caused the investment banks to reduce lending and stop securitizing bad mortgage-backed securities, which had the effect of "sitting on" (stifling) the real economy. But that detail is complex, and unnecessary to explain in a book for young children. The salient points are:

1) The witch (voters) love the rat (Obama)
2) The cat (bankers) just sits in the vat (securitization) staring at the rat
3) The rat hates the cat (Obama hates the big bankers), and
4) The cat does not care
5) For some reason the cat decides to go sit on the mat (the real economy)
6) The rat doesn't like this and tells the cat to get off.

The rat (Obama) believes the mat (real economy) is his, and that is his justification for ordering the fat cat to get off. When the fat cat refuses, the rat gets the bat (congress) to come and tell him to get off. When that doesn't work the bat (congress) gets the hat (Fed Chief Bernanke and Obama administrators Treasury Secretary Geithner and FDIC head Sheila Bair) to coax the cat off with a bribe (the fish on a dish). The fish is, of course,

1) Easy monetary policy in the form of a miniscule Fed Funds rate (cost of banks to borrow), and
2) Absurdly lenient stress tests showing that most banks are "well capitalized", despite their big wads of bad securites they held
3) Continued government support of Fannie and Freddie and FHA who take over the money-losing businesses of guaranteeing and securitizing the bad mortgages, thereby supporting the bad securities still held by the fat cat
4) Creative financing (partnerships with hedge funds using taxpayer money) by FDIC of bad mortgage assets taken over from failing regional banks.

The fat cat is enticed by the fish (bribe), but he is too smart to get off the mat just to collect it. Bring it closer, he says. Just then, the witch's broom (representing the media) enters and flies around the room, causing the rat, bat, hat and fish to pile on top of the fat cat who is still sitting on the mat.

Next, the witch (voters) returns (allegorically, this will happen in November 2010). Because of the media coverage (witch's broom) it becomes clear to the witch that the fish (bribe to the fat cat) is in play and in fact all the actors (cat, rat, bat and hat -- even the fish!) are now sitting on the mat.

I will not spoil the rest of the story for you -- read it for yourself and see how it all turns out. An important point worth noting (I explored this point thoroughly with my 4-year-old son) is that the rat tries to use threats and bribes, not the power of law (SEC and Justice Department), to move the cat. Perhaps the rat and bat and hat do not feel they have a solid legal case against the fat cat? In that case, whose fault is it if the mat is getting crushed?

But I will tell you that this is a story with a happy ending. Let us hope the real voters in November act like the witch.

2 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

One of my grandaughters favorites!

This is a perfect book for beginning readers. My grandaughter is in the 1st grade and this is a good book that she reads with confidence. She can enjoy the books story because it is not to hard to read. It is a funny book that makes the kids all laugh. She wants to take the book to school to share with her class.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Great early reader

The story is cute, simple, and with enough rhyme and repetition to practice short vowel sounds.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Pretty bad ):

I rember in 1st grade that i had to read alouf this book. I got yelled at when i had to sau fat, stupin and brat. Dont buy it you can read in 5min

Gave my son the gift of "the love of reading!!"

Ive fought my 6 year old son daily to push him to learn to read, but it's been a constant and frustrating battle for him to even try with dyslexia making the task more than difficult for him. I originally bought the book because we're still at the beginning with learning phonics and try to focus on short vowels. There are too few books that have simple, easy to read words and still manage to have a story interesting enough for active children. From the first time we sat down with this book, he loved the humorous story line and now picks it up and actually reads without me forcing him into his required daily time for school. Tonight he came to me and asked me to look for other books that this author had available for purchase. It brought tears to my eyes to hear this from him. I really never thought he would ever see reading as more than a required task.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Nookcolor Owner :)

I would recommend this book for early readers.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Waste$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

I'm not sure I shuold buy it because it's sooooooooooooooooo much money(for 4.99, it is).

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great narrator, very cute story

My son, age seven, loves this book. He laughs everytime we read it. I love the different voices the narrator uses. I think it is just for fun, though, not for teaching beginning readers. But so what, it makes a kid laugh, and for this price that's enough.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Awful book...

Do not waste your money on this book! I don't know how a publisher even printed this awful story. It has no story and has terrible words that little kids shouldn't even hear. I agree with the other reviewer and should have listened. Words like stupid and hate are used. When I read this book to my daughter, our mouths were hanging open in shock and horror. Can I get my money back?

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The rhymes were unorigional

The rhymes aren't original, but the story was cute. My four year old loved it, and it was the first book she leaned to read by herself. Overall, for young kids it was great.

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Cute

My three year old stared at me through the whole entire storie... I'm not sure if he was bored or what! I for one found it very cute. I recommend it!

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I LOVE this book

Such a great kid's book, so witty and original. Especially love the ending! I bought a bunch of books as gifts for other kids!

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is my daughters favorite!

My daughter is almost 2 and absolutely loves this book! We read is over and over and again and its something even my 5 year enjoys!

Outstanding Children Book

Recommend to all young readers and their parents!

Excellent for first time readers.

This is a great book to children just starting to read as is has a lot of rhymes and mostly shorter, more recognizable words.

This is a great beginning reader. Such fun!!

My sons and I love this book. It's truly one of the best beginning readers we've ever owned. Love it. :-)