Since 1957, millions of children have loved the story of the mischievous cat in the striped hat who arrives on a cold and rainy day with his now-famous friends Thing 1 and Thing 2. Although Sally and her brother are admonished by their goldfish not to let that cat in the house, they ignore their practical pet—and the world of children's books changed forever. Written using only 236 easy-to-read words, author/illustrator Theodor Geisel, who wrote under the pseudonym Dr. Seuss, created this book as a reaction to the 1950s classroom reading materials that were considered uninteresting and thus part of the problem of illiteracy in America. To celebrate The Cat in the Hat's fiftieth birthday and to promote literacy, Random House has created this Party Edition with a snazzy foil cover, birthday logo, and a postcard to mail birthday greetings to the cat himself. For each birthday card received by mail or online, including the official postcard found only in the first printing of the Party Edition or a card created by a child, Random House will donate one book to First Book, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing low-income families with new books. Happy Birthday, Cat in the Hat!