An exuberant update on the theme of cats in hats.
Who should wear hats? Dogs or cats?
A cat wearing a fez is admonished by a dog in a top hat: “Hats are not for cats.” The dog goes on to catalog the types of hats that just don’t work for cats: “Not hats that are festive or hats that are fun. / Not hats for the cold or hats for the sun. / Not hats that are fussy or hats that are frilly. / Not hats that are serious… / or hats that are silly!” Heedless, the cat keeps trying on different hats as it bounces through the pages, but every fashion choice is nixed by the hound. After the exhaustive list—capped by an enormous, spread-dominating eruption of “HATS ARE NOT FOR CATS!”—the gray puss begs to differ…and brings a parade of hat-wearing cats by to prove that hats are for everyone (including turtles, ducks, and canaries). Rayner’s inclusive celebration of chapeaux is a delightful debut. The big, shaggy dog and fluffy puss speak in color-coded dialogue balloons, providing all the text of the tale. The scribbly, smudgy figures appear to be done in watercolor and charcoal and are placed on expansive white space. Although they speak, show emotion, and wear hats, they are not otherwise anthropomorphic, and the sight of these four-legged critters in the various hats amps the silliness.
An exuberant update on the theme of cats in hats. (Picture book. 2-6)Pub Date: Aug. 20, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-328-96719-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 9, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
Appealing but not saccharine.
A kitten and cat parent explore the concept of home and their close relationship.
“What is it that makes our house / a special place to be? / Let’s think about this place called home / and maybe we will see.” Their house is a place to snuggle and to be themselves. They leave for adventures (through the cat door) but always return home. Their house is where their good stuff is and where they play and snooze. During scary storms, it’s the place they feel safe and dry and warm. Though the parent kitty may need to be away sometimes, home is where the kitten can wait for the parent to return. “So this I will remember / my whole life through: / Home is where the heart is… / and my heart is with you!” With this small volume, Dodd adds another sweet, simple, and short title to her list of picture books in which adorable animals stand in for humans and impart reassuring sentiments. Her smudgy-lined art features a huggable duo of smiling kitties just being cats in a clean, pink house that’s clearly inhabited by humans, though none ever appear. Though it’s unquestionably sentimental, Dodd keeps it just this side of syrupy. Toddlers, whether cat lovers or no, will identify with the small, white kitten.
Appealing but not saccharine. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: July 6, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5362-1712-4
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Templar/Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2021
A sweet, simple story with a nicely offbeat heroine.
All the animals are welcome to come aboard.
Hedgehog seems very lonely, “curled up in a prickly little ball in a lonely little nook of a lonely little tree.” When she overhears a sympathetic conversation about friendship “out there,” she perks up, picturing a beautiful “Friend Ship.” Hedgehog sets sail with a curious beaver in a small boat to find it. Before long, the duo spots a herd of migrating deer on the shore. Hedgehog asks if they’ve seen the Friend Ship; all reply that they could use a friend and hop aboard. Next, the company spies a rat, who asks to join them. They sail in multiple directions to no avail. Hedgehog begins to lose hope, but her companions convince her to persist. She spots a small island, its only resident an elephant. Hedgehog swims the distance and asks the elephant about the Friend Ship. The elephant points at Hedgehog’s small boat full of animals and asks, “Isn’t that it—right over there?” It’s a lightning-bolt moment. Hedgehog invites the elephant aboard, and they sail west, celebrating all the while…into the sunset together. Yeh makes effective use of dialogue and repetition, investing her characters with personality with just a few lines. Groenink employs sunny, warm hues that increase in saturation as the boat fills and Hedgehog becomes surrounded by friends.
A sweet, simple story with a nicely offbeat heroine. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Dec. 6, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4847-0726-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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