One thing to remember is that Geisel worked as a political
cartoonist prior to taking up children's literature. His
depictions of Nazis and Japs in that distinctive drawing
style are very jaring to the modern eye which knows the style
from his books.

This article fails to mention the reading of The Cat in
the Hat as a religious parable. The fish is Jesus, of
course, protecting the children left unproctected by mother
from the Devil in cat form. But that reading doesn't account
for the cat helping to clean up.

Then there is the adult reading, which I will leave to your
immagination.

I've counted words in The Cat in the Hat and I came
up with more than 220, though. See my list:

http://www.panix.com/~eli/220/cat-in-the-hat.html