I Do Not Like Al's Hat

by Erin McGill, Erin McGill (Illustrator)

Overview

When Herb, a magician’s rabbit, gets sick and tired of being pulled out of Abracadabra Al’s hat, he quits and sets out to find a new job. A funny and irreverent picture book about standing up for yourself, complete with bright collage art and a healthy dose of friendship. “What a romp! Sure to be a read-aloud favorite.”—School Library Journal

Herb the magician’s rabbit loves the attention, the applause, and the carrots that are thrown on the stage every night by his adoring audience. But Herb does not like being stuffed into Abracadabra Al’s hat and—Presto!—being pulled out by his ears. Ouch!

Finally fed up, Herb quits his job as a magician’s rabbit and sets out to look for a new profession. Should he become a carrot farmer? Try his luck as a wild rabbit? Or take a risk and become a girl named Sophie’s pet rabbit? This funny picture book stars a big and floppy-eared rabbit with some strong feelings about the importance of good workplace conditions. Herb is a great character to introduce at Easter, and his story of finding friendship and happiness against all odds will resonate year round. “This unexpected and lovely offering that ends with a warm friendship is beautifully illustrated with McGill’s expressive, whimsical collages.”—School Library Journal

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062455765
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	01/24/2017
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Erin McGill was born and raised in New York City. She spent much of her time as a child taking classes at the Bronx Zoo. After realizing that becoming a zoologist required too much science, she decided she would rather draw the animals. She received a BFA in illustration at Pratt Institute, where she discovered her love of patterns, textiles, and collage. Erin McGill creates greeting cards, toys, and wearable art, and for years has sold her work from a sidewalk cart in Soho. She lives with her husband in New York City.

Erin McGill was born and raised in New York City. She spent much of her time as a child taking classes at the Bronx Zoo. After realizing that becoming a zoologist required too much science, she decided she would rather draw the animals. She received a BFA in illustration at Pratt Institute, where she discovered her love of patterns, textiles, and collage. Erin McGill creates greeting cards, toys, and wearable art, and for years has sold her work from a sidewalk cart in Soho. She lives with her husband in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

11/07/2016
Herb, a magician’s rabbit, tries to find a new gig in McGill’s first solo picture book. “I do like the spotlight. I do like the applause. And I do like the carrots,” Herb confesses, but constantly being stuffed into and yanked out of Abracadabra Al’s hat has taken a toll on his ears, which he carefully bandages up before hitting the road. Sitting at a juice bar, Herb contemplates life as a wild rabbit (as part of a bunny biker gang) and a veggie farmer, but neither imagined scenario goes well. That leaves a job as a pet rabbit, and after answering a classified ad placed by a four-year-old named Sophie, Herb finds the home he’s been seeking. McGill brings a lot of energy to her scraggly mixed-media collages, but the compositions can be busy or hard to decipher—when Herb realizes that he isn’t “cut out for the wild life,” he’s shown sprawled out on the ground beside his motorcycle, but it’s not really clear what happened. Although Herb’s pared-down narration should prove encouraging to emerging readers, Herb never gets much of a personality. Ages 4–8. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

This unexpected and lovely offering that ends with a warm friendship is beautifully illustrated with McGill’s expressive, whimsical collages. ...What a romp! Al’s loss is readers’ gain when Herb goes on the lam. Sure to be a read-aloud favorite.” — School Library Journal

“The cut-paper, ink, and gouache illustrations are wacky and colorful, capturing Herb’s vivid imagination and woefulness, and the dry, witty narration is giggle bait. A fun romp for amateur magicians and pet-lovers alike.” — Booklist

From the Publisher

The cut-paper, ink, and gouache illustrations are wacky and colorful, capturing Herb’s vivid imagination and woefulness, and the dry, witty narration is giggle bait. A fun romp for amateur magicians and pet-lovers alike.

Booklist

The cut-paper, ink, and gouache illustrations are wacky and colorful, capturing Herb’s vivid imagination and woefulness, and the dry, witty narration is giggle bait. A fun romp for amateur magicians and pet-lovers alike.

Booklist

11/01/2016
PreS-Gr 2—Herb, who is Al the magician's rabbit, has had it. He relishes the spotlight, the applause, and the carrots, but his ears hurt from night after night of being pulled out of a hat. He needs a new job, but the only options seem to be pet rabbit, wild rabbit, and veggie farmer. Weighing the pros and cons (and teaching readers about decision-making in the process), Herb finds that each vocation falls short. Then—ta da!—he tries the classified ads and meets a new friend, one who, too, enjoys the spotlight, the applause, and…carrot cake. This unexpected and lovely offering that ends with a warm friendship is beautifully illustrated with McGill's expressive, whimsical collages. It lends itself to multiple storytime pairings—for farm tales with a twist, pair it with Susan Pearson's Slugs in Love; for a storytime featuring classified ads, grab this and Rachael Mortimer's The Three Billy Goats Fluff; and for unexpected friendships, read this and Phyllis Root's Toot Toot Zoom! VERDICT What a romp! Al's loss is readers' gain when Herb goes on the lam. Sure to be a read-aloud favorite.—Henrietta Verma, National Information Standards Organization, Baltimore

School Library Journal

2016-10-19
A magician's rabbit decides he's had his ears pulled one too many times. Herb is a rabbit who's been working with magician Abracadabra Al. Even though Herb likes the spotlight, applause, and carrots that come with working in Al's magic shows, he doesn't like Al's hat. Poor Herb's ears (which have cunningly real-looking bandages on them, evidence of McGill's multimedia art) have had enough, and narrator Herb decides it's time for a new job. Possibilities include: 1. Wild Rabbit, 2. Veggie Farmer, 3. Pet Rabbit. Using humor and human stereotypes, Herb debates each possibility, pros and cons exemplified through words and images. McGill's cut-paper, gouache, and ink illustrations offer a plethora of textures for readers to explore within each spread. Unsuited to the first two career paths, Herb answers an ad for a pet rabbit placed by a little blonde white girl named Sophie. At last a job that suits him, mostly because of carrot cake...and because of Sophie's love. Since Herb does not leave Al's employ for lack of affection, the fact that Herb is so taken by Sophie's love feels rather like an afterthought. Fans of quirky humor and hard-core rabbit lovers won't mind the arbitrariness of the ending, and the art is charming. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews