The sun did not shine.

It was too wet to play.

So we sat in the house

All that cold, cold, wet day.

Those lyrical four sentences sparked a revolution. Dr. Seuss’ start to the classic “The Cat in the Hat” created generations of readers.

Before Theodor Geisel enchanted us with loopy drawings and improbable situations that slyly taught phonics, kids learned to read in spite of the coma-inducing Dick and Jane books.

Now Geisel’s estate and PBS hope to set off a similar revolution by interesting children in science with “The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!” premiering Monday.

The weekday show updates the story. Rather than have the Cat burst in while the mother of a white brother and sister is out, the story now has Sally and Nick, a white girl and a black boy who are neighbors, ask their moms if they can go on adventures with the Cat.

The Cat remains delightfully zany, and that’s because Martin Short lends his voice.

In the pilot, Short as the Cat says, “Don’t you just love gurgling? I do!”

Really, who doesn’t?

The first cartoon has Nick run out of honey at breakfast, and the Cat, Sally and Nick – aided by Thing 1 and Thing 2 – seek the source of honey. They must be shrunk and their clothes painted to look like bees before they’re presented to the queen, who bares a resemblance to Queen Elizabeth. They learn about flowers, nectar, dancing, mixing and spitting honey.

“Its concept is very good,” Short says. “Two kids, and this imaginary friend shows up. Or is he imaginary? He is kind of what we are talking about – relying on imagination and adventure that the kids create for themselves. They are learning things they are experiencing through their imagination.”