Hats Are Not for Cats!

by Jacqueline K. Rayner, Jacqueline K. Rayner (Illustrator)

Overview

Are hats for cats?! A big, bossy dog and a determined cat disagree. This funny rhyming romp—with a large cast of cats and hats—leads readers to the perfect conclusion: Hats are for everyone!

A big, severe, plaid-hat-wearing dog insists that the small black cat in the red fez shouldn't be wearing a hat—any kind of hat—because hats are for dogs.

His patronizing tirade doesn’t convince this cat, however. Defiantly, she wears an assortment of hats, described in the gleeful rhyming text, and brings in other cats to join the protest.

The silliness of both text and pictures offers a cheerful take on bossiness and managing conflict, with a win-win resolution.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781328967190
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	08/20/2019
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,095,733
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Jacqueline K. Rayner was born in Australia. She has a B.A. in fine art and worked for many years as a graphic designer before turning to books and receiving a master's degree in children's book illustration from the Cambridge School of Art. Currently she lives and works in London. Visit her online at jacquelineraynerillustration.com.

Jacqueline K. Rayner was born in Australia. She has a B.A. in fine art and worked for many years as a graphic designer before turning to books and receiving a master's degree in children's book illustration from the Cambridge School of Art. Currently she lives and works in London. Visit her online at jacquelineraynerillustration.com.

Editorial Reviews

? "Rayner's inclusive celebration of chapeaux is a delightful debut."—Kirkus, STARRED review "[T]he text is lively and energetic as the dog becomes increasingly bothered, while the silent cat bounces through the pages with exuberant defiance."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books —

From the Publisher

07/19/2019

PreS-Gr 2-The canine of the house sees the cat wearing a hat. Hats, he declares, are not for cats! Only dogs may wear hats. The feline keeps trying on all kinds of hats, and every time the dog says the same thing: hats are not for cats. After the cat and his friends try on every kind of hat imaginable, and even knock the dog's hat off his head, the dog finally agrees that hats are indeed for everyone. The illustrations are colorful, whimsical, and expressive. The text is fanciful and rhyming, in the fashion of a Dr. Seuss book. VERDICT This is a humorous, colorful book with delightful rhyme schemes that will make it a fine read-aloud.-Nicole Detter-Smith, Homestead High School, IN

School Library Journal

★ 2019-04-10
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)

Kirkus Reviews