I Can Read with My Eyes Shut! is a children's book written and illustrated by Theodor Geisel under the pen name Dr. Seuss and first published by Random House on November 12, 1978. In the book, the Cat in the Hat shows his son Young Cat the fun he can get out of reading, and also shows that reading is a useful way of gaining knowledge, and the thrill of the ways to read.
History[]
This book was written after Seuss' vision began to fade and he started wearing glasses. The book is dedicated to "David Worthen, E.G. (Eye Guy)", who was his ophthalmologist.
Plot[]
The Cat in the Hat shows his protégé, Young Cat, that while reading with one's eyes closed can be amazing, it can be a strain. When one reads with their eyes open, they will be able to learn a large amount of wonderful things, some of which are shown through illustrations.
Translations[]
- Arabic: أستطيع أن أقرأ وأنا مغمض العينين ('Astatie 'an 'aqra wa'ana maghmad aleynayn)
- Chinese: 我闭着眼睛都能读书 (Wǒ bì zhuó yǎnjīng dōu néng dúshū)
- Hebrew: לקרא בעינים עצומות (Lakra bainim atzomot)
- Spanish: iYo puedo leer con los ojos cerrados!
Trivia[]
- This is the third Beginner Book starring The Cat In The Hat.
- On pages 34-35, there are signs reading a worldwide location:
- Dallas, Texas, USA
- Lake Forest, California, USA
- Naples, Italy
- Nashua, New Hampshire, USA
- Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Omsk, Russia
- Oz (fictional, The Wizard of Oz)
- Salina, Kansas, USA
- Birthplace of Curtis A. Abel
- San Diego, California, USA
- Schenectady, New York, USA
- Tokyo, Japan
- Wabash, Indiana, USA
- Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
- Hebrew translations:
- On page 7, "Indianapolis" is replaced by "Jerusalem" right after "Hallelujah".
- On pages 33-34:
- "Dallas" is replaced by "Tokyo (Japan)".
- "Detour" is replaced by "Cairo (Egypt)"
- "Lake Forest" is replaced by "Tel Aviv (Israel)".
- "Naples" is removed.
- "Nashville" is replaced by "Jerusalem (Israel)".
- "San Diego" is replaced by "America".
- "Schenectady" is replaced by "Land of Oz".
- "Tokyo" is replaced by "China".
- "Wabash" is replaced by "Ra'anana (Israel)".