Hooray for Hat!

Waking up one day in a very grumpy state, Elephant's mood is considerably improved by the arrival of a package containing some fun hats. Putting them on, he proceeds to his friend Zebra's, where he discovers that he isn't the only one who began his day feeling grumpy. Fortunately, he has head-wear to share, and improves not just Zebra's day, but that of Turtle and Owl as well. Lion proves more of a challenge, as he feels that he shouldn't be happy when his friend Giraffe is unwell, but the animals companions all head to her home, and the day ends in happiness for all...

A cute book with winsome artwork, engaging typography and design, and a sweet story, Hooray for Hat! is sure to be a winner with toddlers and younger children. I really show more liked Brian Won's color scheme here - the vivid aqua blues, the subtler yellows and oranges - and I appreciated his use of a threatening gray scribble above each character's head, indicating their grumpy mood. The replacement of the gray scribble with a colorful hat was an effective visual representation of their changed mood. I also really appreciate the use of various colors in the type itself, and the change from a plain black font to a more colorful and decorative one, when the text gets to the 'hoorays' throughout. Recommended to anyone looking for fun picture-books for younger children, particularly picture-books with a real sense of visual whimsy. show less

Have you ever had a grumpy day? In this adorable and deceivingly simple story, Elephant is
having a grumpy day when his door bell rings. Outside he finds a present ‐ a stack of hats. As
soon as he puts the stack of hats on his head, he is immediately cheered up, Hooray for Hat! Elephant wants to show his friend, Zebra. The only problem is that Zebra is grumpy too. So Elephant shares his gift and gives Zebra one of his hats. Elephant and Zebra set off to show their hats to their friend Turtle, but they find that Turtle is having a grumpy day too. Soon Elephant is cheering up all of his friends by sharing his hats. Author and Illustrator, Brian Won creates brightly pastel colored illustrations which draw the readers attention to the show more animals expressive faces that harmonize perfectly with the text. A simple message of friendship and kindness with repeat phrases is perfect for a pre‐K‐2 audience and for anyone who needs to be cheered up ‐ Hooray for Hat! show less

Awesome, hilarious art! Sweet, funny story about how to feel better when you've got the grumps. The cheesy grin of the giraffe just kills me!

Read this once or twice from the library, and snagged it out of the remainders bin at the bookstore. An exuberant story of friends cheering each other up with hats; a few pages are laid out portrait instead of landscape, so you have to turn the book. But how else would you fit a giraffe wearing a hat?

*

First read July 2014

*

Excellent storytime choice for 2-3yos

Would I like it more if I had friends who would march in a hat parade with me? Maybe. But there are flaws, as a few other reviewers have pointed out. Too simple, too many male characters, and a weird definition of 'grumpy.'

With grumpy and happy voices this has been a huge hit for my almost two year old. Perfect for a younger audience who enjoys the simple bliss of making friends happy. Although my six year old who loves deep wordy books finds this just as funny. Maybe it's the way it's read or that her brother enjoys it so much.

Hooray for Hats by Brian Won
Audio children's story: Grumpy elephant wakes up and finds a hat. He puts it on and goes to see his friends who are also grumpy.
Love the parade of animals as they go from one friend to another with their new hats.
Reminds me of family photos we take: we take one silly hat one and a serious one. Always do the silly hat one first.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).