A Good Reason Not to Keep Your Door Locked
- At the very peak of boredom, the boy, Sally, and (as the illustration shows) their fish hear a loud noise, followed by an unexpected visitor—the Cat in the Hat.
- Here's the lowdown on the Cat: he's as big as a man and has black and white fur; he appears to have five fingers on each hand; he walks on two legs (natch) and his lower paws are bare; his outfit consists of a red and white striped top hat, a red bowtie, white gloves, and a pastel blue umbrella.
- We know we have a way with words, but we suggest you just go look at the illustration.
- Right away, the Cat brings up one of Shmoop's favorite things: fun. More specifically, he wants to know why the kids aren't having any. He insists that they "can have/ Lots of good fun that is funny!" (32-33)
- What he has in mind, he says, are "games," "new tricks," and "good tricks" (38).
- Best of all, he says, their mother will approve.
- The boy and Sally aren't so sure about that. Their mother is "out of the house/ for the day" (42-45).