The Fat Cat Sat on the Mat (I Can Read Level 1)

"The Fat Cat Sat on the Mat" is a silly little book. The catchy rhyme and cute pictures keep readers entertained, and its simplicity makes it a perfect, easy read for beginners.

The Fat Cat Sat on the Mat is one of my granddaughter's favorite books. I've read some of the reviews and understand that some parents are concerned about some of the language--stupid, brat and hate. I'm careful about choosing books that have appropriate language for children. Her parents have taught my granddaughter(as have I) that it is not okay to call people "stupid." We also have taught her that it is important to love others--even when they seem hateful or unloving. We want her to be kind and considerate of others and understand that you don't call people names. At the same time, most children are confronted with these thoughts and words at an early age in the world we live in, so occasionally having these words in books to explore and to talk about with our children can be helpful.When I chose this book to buy, I had been working with my granddaughter on the "at" words the book aims to teach to young readers. I had made a simple diorama with pictures of a cat and a mat and the words to place with them, and my granddaughter had learned these words, so I was thrilled to find Karlin's book.I remember vividly the first reading with my granddaughter. I read it with a great deal of dramatic emphasis because it's the kind of nonsensical but funny, funny book that you can read this way. One of the funniest scenes for my granddaughter is when the hat (with his friends the rat and the bat parading behind him), tries to entice the cat to get off the mat. He brings him a fish on a dish but keeps it just out of the cat's reach. The cat says, "Bring it closer!" (I read it slooooowly and with lots of emphasis!) Then the hat says, "Come and get it!" Of course, my granddaughter wondered what the cat would do--would she jump off the mat to get the fish on a dish? Would she be silly enough to fall for this? We slowly turned the page... The cat says, "You think I am stupid!" My granddaughter howled with laughter. She loved that the cat was too smart for the hat! He wasn't stupid after all! We read on and enjoyed the rest of the book and then she insisted I had to read it over and over.This child memorized the book and began reading portions of it by recognizing the words from her memorization. As I read she would put out her hand and stop me at portions of the book so that she could show me she could read the funny parts. By the end of kindergarten, she was reading the entire book by herself.I have looked and looked for other books by Nurit Karlin like this one and haven't found them. I personally think she has written a whimsical book for children to enjoy reading. So many books for new readers are just not as imaginative and not at all fun to read.Children who are old enough to understand the nuance of language and the motive and intent of characters will understand this book. It's not a storybook for very young ones in my opinion (1-4 year olds). It's an "I can read book" for young readers. I am purchasing one today for a friend's child who at five hasn't begun to read. I fully expect he will love this book as we have.

Good for grandparents to do with granddaughter

The big orange cat and little mouse have a fun, clever battle—kids laugh while learning to read. Perfect for parent-child time! So amazing!

teaching at a christian school so the story having the owner of the cat being a witch would not be allowed, otherwise the story was cute.

This is a very cute book

5-year-old granddaughter recognized some of the words - she's just learning to read and this book works great for that age/stage.

I couldn't understand the harsh words expressed by other reviewers. This book was never intended as a storybook. It is for teaching your 4+ year old how to read. I bought this book for my 6yo who is starting 1st grade next week. It teaches the -at word family and is actually the tale of a clever cat that enjoyed annoying the witch's pet rat. It even has a surprising moral that adults should enjoy--not ridicule. The cat finds a subtle, non-aggressive way of getting everything he wants. Others objected to the wording of this book, but your child will have to learn how to read the word "hate" at some point. As for the cat saying "so what" and the rat's comeback of "so get off," how is that any different than two kids fighting over the same toy. When my oldest objects to her younger sister "borrowing" one of her toys, I remind her that her baby sister will get tired of playing with it soon and she can have it back then. That is exactly what happens in this book. If you take this book for what it is, an early reader, I don't think you'll be disappointed.