Hooray for Hat!

Hooray

by Brian Won

Elephant wakes up grumpy—until ding, dong! What’s in the surprise box at the front door? A hat! HOORAY FOR HAT! Elephant marches off to show Zebra, but Zebra is having a grumpy day, too—until Elephant shares his new hat and cheers up his friend. Off they march to show Turtle! The parade continues as every animal brightens the day of a grumpy friend. An irresistible celebration of friendship, sharing, and fabulous hats.

Genres: Picture Books, Storytime, Animals, Friendship, Childrens, Emotion, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published June 3, 2014

About the author

Brian Won wore many hats as a busboy, shoe salesman, art store cashier, art director, and designer before he turned his talents to illustrating children's books.

A Chicago native, Brian graduated from California’s Art Center College of Design with an honorary ninth term before co-founding National Television, a design and animation company. Brian's awards include the Silver Medal by the Society of Illustrators and the 2012 Mentorship Award from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

He currently lives in southern California with his wife and young son. You can see more of Brian's work at http://www.brianwon.com/

Reviews

[Dream.M · Rating 3 out of 5]

منم وقتی هدیه میگیرم خوش اخلاق میشم :)

[میم صالحی فر · Rating 4 out of 5]

کتاب در مورد دوستی و سر حوصله و حال آوردن دوست هست. اون هم با هدیه دادن، هدیه ای مثل کلاه شادی، هرچند دیگه خودت نداشته باشیش.
تصاویر شاد و واضح و خوبی هم داره.
میشه به حالت نمایش هم با بچه ها اجراش کرد.

[Zahra Labbafan · Rating 3 out of 5]

نقاشی های خوشگل😍

[Chadi Raheb · Rating 4 out of 5]

اسکلا :))

[Zeynab · Rating 5 out of 5]

احساسات بین افراد زنجیره‌وارند، مخصوصا شادی.

[Michele Knott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hooray for Hat! When you're grumpy, hats make you feel better! At least it did for these friends :) I loved the grumpy animal faces and how happy the hats made them. I also liked how the hats seemed to fit the personalities of each animal. I'm thinking I would have the hat with the cup and straw on it... filled with a strawberry margarita :)

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.'

[Matthew Winner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brian Won's debut picture book celebrates the power of small acts of kindness, when received or given out, to transform your mood and perspective on situations.

What starts out as a grumpy day for elephant quickly becomes reason to celebrate when an unexpected package is delivered to his front doorstep. Inside is the box is an assortment of colorful hats, all of which Elephant dons at once, one on top of the other. As Elephant cheers, "HOORAY FOR HAT!", the thought comes to mind that he should visit his friend, Zebra.

The story progresses as such, as the growing band of animals visits grumpy friends and changes each new friend's mood with the gift of a hat and the infectiousness of good company. All throughout, Won's illustrations place the characters at central focus with little to no background illustration apart from what is needed for context (a handrail here, a stump there). One detail that especially caught my eye was the look of anticipation on the faces of each of the hat-wearing friends as they approach the next grumpy friend. The expression is always one of concern and contemplation, leaving space for the reader to offer up how the animals can cure their friend's grumpiness. With a hat, of course!

The text art in each exclamation of "Hooray for hat!" is colorful, offsetting the otherwise black inked type, and appears larger and larger with each new friend encounter. Readers will pick up on this detail for sure, raising their voices louder and louder as they cheer, "HOORAY FOR HAT!".

Brian Won has created a memorable picture book that not only celebrates the importance of contagious happiness, but also reminds us to pay forward those random acts of kindness.

(Full review posted at http://www.busylibrarian.com/2014/08/...)

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 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.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

First sentence: When Elephant woke up he was very grumpy. The doorbell rang. Elephant stomped down the stairs. "Go away! I'm Grumpy!"

Premise/plot: Elephant was very, very grumpy until the unwrapping of a present. The gift? A hat. But not just any hat! A super-super-crazy hat that goes a long, long way in lifting one's grumps! This Elephant learns throughout the book. Elephant first visits Zebra--who is GRUMPY--and then Turtle--who is GRUMPY--and then Owl--who is GRUMPY--and then Lion--who is GRUMPY--and then Giraffe....

My thoughts: I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this one. I loved all the crankiness. I loved how the giving--or sharing--of a hat, and, perhaps most importantly the support of friends who understand and relate--can make such a big difference. It was cute and funny. (Not all cute books are funny. Not all funny books are cute.)

Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 9 out of 10

[Ezra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do like the last line: "Hooray for friends!" It makes the little smile. I ask about the people in our lives and whether or not they are friends. In this time of distancing, it is good to focus on our friends and how they make life better.

[Åmîrö ghaderi (≡^∇^≡) · Rating 5 out of 5]

واقعا منم الان نیاز به چندتا دوست خوب و یه هدیه غافلگیر کننده دارم تا بتونه حالم رو بهتر کنه

[SilverNediya · Rating 4 out of 5]

به هرکسی تکه ای متناسب خودش داد
از کلاهش

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. It's a silly story.

I do not understand why all of the animals were so grumpy, except for lion. Lion said he was grumpy because he was thinking about giraffe,who was not doing well. Even then, however, would lion not be worried, or anxious or concerned, rather than grumpy? Serious? What was with all of the grumpiness?

I also did not understand why five of the six characters were male (giraffe's gender is not disclosed, but by that time in the book you sort of assume giraffe too is male). Omission of female characters in stories supports the idea that girls are not/cannot be active in the world.

[Abby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely illustrations, not very exciting. Moral of the story - wear a hat, you will find joy. Don't wear a hat, you will be grumpy for all your days unless you are gifting a hat to another grumpy friend.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun way to encourage little ones to look for the positive things in each day.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a cute book! When you're having a grumpy day, a hat can cheer you right up. My four-year old daughter loved it.

[Diana U · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book stood out to me because of the vibrant colors and type of font that were used for the text. There is also different expressions within the text that you could demonstrate as you read the book. The book is about turning a grumpy day into a good day. It starts out by elephant waking up in a grumpy mood. He finds a gift outside his door which was a hat with multiple hats. After he puts it on he goes off to show his friend zebra who is having a grumpy day, but once elephant gives him one of his hats, zebra cheers up. The story goes on by finding all the friends who are having a grumpy day and cheering them up with one of elephants hats. This book has repetition, expressions and emotions through picture and text.

[Donna Mork · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute book about a grumpy elephant who cheers up when a box appears and it is full of hats. He goes out and finds his friends. Each one is grumpy but feels better when he shares a hat. In the end they all go and cheer up the giraffe. Hooray for friends.

[Amanda Kendall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute

[Atefe Dtr · Rating 4 out of 5]

منم یه کلاه می‌خوام:)))

[Jessie]

Story time at the library with Ms Heather

[Jannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elephant is GRUMPY. But when a mysterious box of hats arrives on the porch, a happy chain reaction occurs! Will hats help *all* of Elephant's other crabby friends?

This was a fun one to read out loud for a hat-themed storytime! Everyone chimed in for the "Go away, I'm grumpy" and "HOORAY FOR HAT!" lines. The illustrations are cute and I liked how the image layout switched things up a couple times for some of the most pivotal moments.

[Siskiyou-Suzy · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was sort of cute, but the whole thing was ruined by the fact that all of these animals are rude to each other. It's very nice of the animals to care for their friends, but the grumpy friend (which is all of them at one point)? Rude! It is not okay to just yell at people because you're grumpy, and you certainly shouldn't expect anybody to coddle you after that. And the repetition makes it clear this book is suited for very young children, but the social lesson it teaches is not a good one.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Arree Chung · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elegant and delightful. A strong graphic style and quirky charming characters deliver a simple message about life- that friends make life better. The message is told in a light way without being heavy handed or preachy. Won's illustrations are deceptively simple, modern and bold.

[Shoshana G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice repetition. Bright and boldly differentiated illustrations.

I read this at story time and the pictures grabbed attention, and I read this at a day care and they enjoyed yelling "hooray for hat" at appropriate moments.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing like a new hat to cheer you when you're down. A cheerful celebration of sharing and friendship.

[Dylan Teut · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic book that teaches readers it is good to receive, but it is even better to give.

[pati · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun book for the very young - grumpy animals cheer up with the arrival of a hat sharing elephant.