#blogbookaday: Old Hat

Summary:  “Harbet likes his comfy knitted hat, but the others keep jeering at him – OLD HAT! OLD HAT! No matter what headwear he buys – be it a towering fruit platter hat, an old-boot-on-the-head hat or a brightly lit traffic cone hat, Harbet cannot keep up with the latest fashions. As soon as he gets a brand new hat it is already an . . . OLD HAT! It seems that Harbet will never fit in. But when one day he decides to go his own way, Harbet discovers just how much more fun it is to stop following others and think for yourself.” (Taken from Goodreads)

Review: Harbet likes the knitted hat his grandmother made him, but soon he’s embarrassed by it as all his peers have the newest, coolest hats on the market. Each time Harbet tries to fit in with his peers, they are just one hat ahead of him. But, Harbet learns that being yourself is actually the best thing you can be!

Personal Reaction: A story of trying to fit in when it seems like you might never be able to. What I loved about this story is the unexpected way in which Harbet is different at the end! It’s the perfect way to make this story different enough to be exciting, even with the message of “Be yourself!” This could also be a great book about peer pressure as Harbet tries everything to look just like his peers, but to no avail. (And how sometimes, even when you look like you fit in, your peers might not make the best of friends.)

Title: Old Hat
Author: Emily Gravett
Illustrator: Emily Gravett
Publisher: Two Hoots Books
Publication Date: May 18, 2017

This is a new idea I’m trying on my blog this year that was inspired by @donalynbooks and @heisereads – to provide a brief review of a picture book every day of 2018. You’ll get a brief summary of the story, a review of the content, illustrations and theme, my personal reaction to the book and all the pertinent publication information! Enjoy!