Review by Booklist Review
Ages 5^-8. When an elf loses his hat in the forest, it's the animals' gain: "A home in a hat? Imagine that ... " say intrigued passersby, including a frog, a hare, a wolf, and a bear. All move in, and all is well until a flea sneaks in, sending the everyone else running. Soon after, the elf finds his hat, oblivious to its tiny new inhabitant. Kids will enjoy the cumulative nature of the story and the idea of the impossibly expanding hat, and the simple, bouncy prose and rhyming refrain make the book good for read aloud. The large gray text is sometimes difficult to read against the glossy white pages, but it seems to work with the lively, richly colored, detailed pictures, with insects and a variety of little creatures providing unusual interactive borders. There are no lessons to learn here--except, perhaps, inspect your hat before putting it on. A light, amusing read, with lots of visual interest. --Shelle Rosenfeld
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Home is where the hat is for the eight woodland creatures that find it lying on the forest floor. Reminiscent of Jan Brett's The Mitten (Putnam, 1989), this wonderful adaptation of a popular Ukrainian folktale relates what becomes of an unsuspecting elf's hat after a low-lying branch knocks it off his head. Although those who move into the red cap range in size from a mouse to a bear, hospitality reigns supreme-until a presumptuous flea nibbles her way inside without even asking. A collective "NOOOOOO!" fills the hat and its inhabitants flee. The flea finds herself living alone until the clueless elf returns to claim his lost hat. Weninger creates good rhythm by using patterned language and short sentences. Children will love knowing what comes next as each new resident wanna-be chants, "A home-in-a-hat? Imagine that!/-Hello in there./Do you have some room to spare?" Rowe's caricaturelike illustrations reflect the humor of the tale. The wide white margins offer additional visual treats, such as animal tracks, bugs, worms, seed pods, etc. Vibrant colors depict the accommodating friends. This catchy read-aloud is a treat for the eyes.-Susan Garland, Maynard Public Library, MA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
The cumulative Russian folktale begins with a lost red hat that provides shelter for a host of animals. A frog, hedgehog, enormous bear, and other creatures squeeze inside until a minuscule flea proves too large for the bulging hat. The book's design features gray typeface set against a stark white background and sophisticated, somewhat surreal paintings that may have limited appeal. From HORN BOOK Fall 2000, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
