[.ca] Cattus Petasatus! / The Cat in the Hat! (ISBN 0865164711)

A good intermediate practice to Latin:
Having tried to learn Latin, I found reading the Classics was extremely difficult. Afterall, it is written by a native speaker, and I am no Latin native speaker. So I found this book to be very useful. The only problem is that it emulates Dr. Seuss's writing so well, that the whole book uses pretty much once case in Latin. You will learn that case very well, but won't be able to practice other cases in normal writing. However, I think it was a terrific idea, and I like the fact that all the words are listed in the back (as well as the context). The fact that it uses more mundane words (compare with Caesar's Gaelic Wars) is also great for intermediate readers. All in all, I consider it time well spent, not to mention, its just fun reading Dr. Seuss in Latin.

Qui Bono from this book? Anyone who must study Latin!:
I wish, oh I wish I had this book back in middle school where we had two years of Latin. What a good idea this is, to take a familiar story and have it so you can compare it to the Latin, especially the grammar. The fact it is a kid's book makes it even simpler; the sentence structures are more or less straightforward. We translated Beatles songs like "I wanna hold your hand" into Latin but I wish I had had this book! This is a great idea. Why didn't someone do it before?

Appeals to any audience:
Having studied Latin throughout high school, I could appreciate the innovation and creativity necessary to translate Dr. Seuss' classic story while still preserving rhyme and meter. However, my little sister, who has just recently learned to read on such classics as "The Cat in the Hat," perhaps enjoyed "Cattus Petasatus" even more than I did. Not automatically looking to identify subject and verb, she giggled with delight at the new words that roll off the tongue with the catchy meter and bragged to my parents that she was able to speak Latin! Because the pictures are the same as the English, she was able to follow the storyline and give expression to the words. Whether as an introduction to Latin or an amusing twist of the Dr. Seuss classic, "Cattus Petasatus" is a wonderful variation that will make the reader and audience smile.

A new spin on a classic:
It's well known that Dr. Seuss wrote The Cat in the Hat in response to a challenge to write a children's book only using 40 basic vocabulary words. Now a new spin brings basic vocabulary to another language. Latin, often thought to be the "dead" language, is brought alive with something other than the so called "dead guys." Here the reader can have a basis in the book, and verse, beforehand and see it and Latin anew in this translation. The translators do a marvelous job of mimicing the rhythm and meter of Seuss's charming tale. And with the Seuss drawings intact the connection between the text in Latin and the story is there to help you along. It makes Latin accessible and that's not a small feat. Read it aloud and you feel so very intelligent. Try this book - it's fun.

Great for Latin Students:
I am a Latin minor at a California University, and have studied Latin for about three years. This book was part of my class curriculum of Latin poetry, and was a nice break from the works of Ovid and Virgil! It is a simple book to translate, though some of the gerunds can be a little tricky. This book is a lot of fun, and is helpful in learning new vocabulary. If I remember correctly, all of the words used are given English meanings in the back of the book. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is learning Latin. Though you may get annoyed by comments made by bystanders who think you are reading "The Cat in the Hat."