Review - A Good Day for a Hat

A Good Day for a Hat
by T. Nat Fuller
illustrated by Rob Hodgson
Date: 2017
Publisher: Abrams Appleseed
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

Mr. Brown loves hats and can’t leave the house without wearing just the right one. But on this day, every time he opens the door to leave, the situation changes, and Mr. Brown must change his hat accordingly. At last, wearing every hat he owns, Mr. Brown is on his way. When he finally arrives at his destination, we find that it’s Mr. Brown’s birthday, and his friends have just the right hat for that as well.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

If you like repetition, this book is for you! On the first read, it's amusing to see all of Mr. Brown's different hats, but I have a feeling that the repeating text is going to get really old on subsequent read-throughs.

The pictures are... different. They're kind of fun to look at, with neat little touches (like the one-legged dragon and the magical rabbits loose on Mr. Brown's lawn). But the expressions on the characters' faces are kind of odd, too. The toothy smiles, especially, creep me out; they look like barcodes.

I can see this being one of those unfortunate titles that kids will want read to them again and again... while their parents are gritting their teeth to keep from screaming aloud at the repetition.

Premise: 3/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 2/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 2.5 out of 5

Review - The Woods

The Woods
by Rob Hodgson
Date: 2019
Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children's Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

Here are the woods. The woods are home to three foxes on a hunt for rabbits. Three foxes that don’t realize someone might be following them… From the author of The Cave, this is a fantastically funny cat-and-mouse (or fox-and-rabbit) story with a not-so-fluffy twist.

The foxes follow some helpful signs over the tallest trees, under the carrot fields, and through the pumpkin patch, but there’s no sign of any rabbits. What on earth has happened to them? And why are there strange eyes following them from the trees?

Children will love outwitting the foxes—who continually say, "No rabbits here"—by spotting the rabbits in each colorful illustration.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I can see how this book will have an audience... but it's not me.

The illustrations are just okay. Actually, they're kind of weird. The stylized foxes are sort of funny, but they also don't look much like foxes, aside from their colouring. Also, what is up with the pink worm? When it's drawn wearing hats, it just looks phallic.

The main problem I have with this book is the story. The foxes go in search of rabbits to eat, following signs that someone has laid out for them. Eventually, we find out that it was the rabbits luring the foxes into a trap, and the book ends with all the foxes in the rabbits' giant net. Okay... but what happens next? Rabbits aren't carnivores (unless this is a really scary children's book), so what are they going to do with their bag of foxes? Why did they trap them in the first place? (Self-defense, maybe... but are they just planning on leaving them in the net forever?) It's kind of a weak ending.

Maybe this author/illustrator has fans that love the style and the quirky nature of the stories, but I don't think I'm going to be one of them. While I don't think this is a terrible book, I'm not in any hurry to read it again or seek out any of the author's other work.

Thank you to NetGalley and Frances Lincoln Children's Books for providing a digital ARC.

Premise: 2/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 2/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 2.33 out of 5