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Chapter 113

2022 : A

READING2 · 44 questions

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Chapter 113 · 2022 : A · READING2

How a Cat in a Hat Changed Children’s EducationIn a 1954 Life magazine article, author John Herseyexpressed concern that children in the United States weredisengaged from learning how to read. Among otherproblems, Hersey noted, the reading material available tograde-schoolers had a hard time competing withtelevision, radio, (1) and other media for children’sattention. One solution he proposed was to make children’s books more (2) interesting, since “anindividual’s sense of wholeness... follows, and cannotprecede, a sense of accomplishment.”The story of The Cat in the Hat’s publication beganwhen William (3) Spaulding, the director of theeducation division at the publishing companyHoughton Mifflin, read Hersey’s article and had an idea.Spaulding agreed that there was a need for appealingbooks for beginning (4) readers. He thought he knewwho should write one. He arranged to have dinner withTheodor Geisel, who wrote and illustrated children’sbooks under the name “Dr. Seuss,” and issued him achallenge: “Write me a story that first graders can’t put down!” Having (5) known Spaulding for many years andhaving maintained a professional relationship with him,Geisel was an experienced writer and illustrator.(6) However, this new project presented him with anobstacle. Spaulding told Geisel to write his entire bookusing a restricted vocabulary from an elementary schoollist of 348 words. Geisel started two stories, only toabandon them when he found that he needed to usewords that were not on the list. On the verge of giving up,(7) Geisel’s story finally hit upon an image that becameits basis: a cat wearing a battered stovepipe hat. His maincharacter established, Geisel commenced the difficult taskof writing a book with a limited vocabulary. (8) At theend of a duration nine months long, The Cat in the Hatwas complete. The book was a hit. Children were entertained by itsplot about the antics of a mischievous cat and (9) iscaptivated by its eye-catching illustrations andmemorable rhythms and rhymes. Its sales inspiredanother publishing company, Random House, toestablish a series for early readers called Beginner Books,which featured works by Geisel and other writers, andother publishers quickly followed suit. In the years that(10) followed. Many talented writers and illustrators ofchildren’s books imitated Geisel’s formula of restrictedvocabulary and whimsical artwork. But perhaps the bestproof of The Cat in the Hat’s success is not its influenceon other books but its (11 limited vocabulary andappealing word choices.

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