The Cat and the Rat and the Hat

by Em Lynas, Matt Hunt (Illustrator)

A raucous, rhyming tale that will have children (and adults) in fits of laughter! Cat is sitting on his mat when Rat arrives wearing a very nice hat. Cat wants Rat's hat and will stop at nothing to get it. But when Bat appears wearing a fancy cravat, well, what could be better than that? Chaos ensues as both Cat and Rat decide they must have Bat's fancy cravat for themselves! This hilarious picture book is bursting with comic capers, slapstick antics, tongue-twisting text, and vibrant neon artwork.

Genres: Picture Books, Cats, Animals, Storytime, Humor, Childrens, Juvenile

32 pages, Hardcover

Published October 26, 2021

About the author

Em Lynas is a children’s author with a love of silly poetry, magic, dragons, and folklore. She has also worked as a shelf stacker, a shoe salesperson, a schoolteacher, a mother, and an educational publisher. She lives by the seaside on the northeast coast of England with her husband, Geoff.

Reviews

[booklady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever. Got it as a gift for granddaughters.

[Stacey Bookerworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this almost as much as my son. It made me smile and the illustrations are just right. Perfect for teaching your child to read, or for teaching children about rhyming.

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you have a reader who is doing sight words or using some BOB books and the sound-a-like readers, this book is excellent!

[Alyssa Gudenburr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a funny book with lots of wordplay. Would be best as a one-on-one story.

[beckys_book_blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

We were drawn to this as it is so bright and colourful with such vibrant neon illustrations.
The rhyming is fantastic and so funny. Both my children laughed along to it and it wasn't long before they were joining in with the repetition. We loved the characters of the Cat, Bat and the Rat. This would be a great book for children learning to read as there are so many words that children can read phonetically as well as lots of repetition.
Brilliant to read just for fun though. Who is going to get the hat?

[Aolund · Rating 4 out of 5]

Silly, rhyming cat/rat/hat/mat fun.

Age range: Toddler-Kindergarten

[Laura's Book Addiction · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Read Along story by Nosy Crow added to my daughters collection, and now a firm favourite. The colourful illustrations were perfect and the rhyming was hilarious.

[April Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

A super fun story! We have a rat with a really nifty hat, and the cat that lies on the mat wants it. Wacky hi-jinks ensue, with each pulling all kinds of shenanigans to take control of the hat. Then a bat shows up, wearing a very stylish cravat, and the cat and the rat have a new goal: they each want that cravat. In the struggle to get hold of the cravat, the cat and the rat don't notice that the bat has taken the opportunity to steal the hat. Who will be the fashionable winner?
This is a perfect pairing of fun, rhyming text and bright, colorful, action-filled illustrations that makes for a great read-aloud story!

[Jenna Coffey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a cat and a rat and a bat doing different things. They fight over a series of objects, specifically a hat. They fly, they run, they climb. In the end, the bat takes the hat and the book closes.

This book is a simple read for a young audience. I thought the word art was cool and how the sentences were sometimes upside down and larger and smaller.

This book can be used in speech therapy with phonological development. The book is primary rhyming words, making this good practice for kids developing those speech sounds.

[Wade Huggins · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Cat and the Rat and the Hat is a book that is very reminiscent of a Dr. Seuss style book in rhyming repetitive and simplistic but engaging style. The book has some pages that are laid out vertically and upside down and this aspect of the book appeals to children during a read aloud. The illustrations are also simplistic with a lot of color that will endear itself to children. The book is a good primary elementary read aloud but it doesn't have much substance.

[Brenley Colbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was all about a cat who had a hat. A rat wanted to steal the hat and finally when they both decided they could wear the hat, a bat came by a took it! This book has great illustrations, obviously some rhyming involved, and really cool way of setting up the pages.

I would only read this to lower elementary but I think it is a great read a loud because of its fun upbeat story and its pictures. It would be great too if you are teaching students how to rhyme words.

[Lisa Trollip · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Cat and the Rat and the Hat is a hilariously funny new children’s picture book that is guaranteed to have everyone giggling, moms and dads included!

The repetition is a delight, and the bright neon illustrations are the perfect accompaniment to make this a raucously fun story. The tongue twisty rhyming and vertical double-page spreads make it such a great book to read-aloud to children.

[Roben · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cat has a mat. The rat has a hat. The cat wants the hat. But the rat does not want to give up his hat - and just when you think things can't be resolved -- there's a bat! With a pink cravat! And they want the hat!!
Very cute, very silly - a lot of fun to read. Especially since the bat is upside down...

[Opetoritse · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quirky rhyming story based around words ending in "at." Perfect for alphabet practice, or just general wordplay. Hunt's colorful illustrations capture the playful mood of Lynas's Tom-and-Jerry-esque plot.

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for reinforcing the concept of rhyming words. A cat and a rat fight over a hat (and later a cravat brought by a bat). The plot back-and-forth is a little hard to follow but it will definitely drill home the rhyming thing, though.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the style of "The House that Jack Built." I liked the vibrant colors, especially the hot pink accents. I really liked the bat. I liked how you had to turn the book in different directions to read it. Very cool.

[Geoff Lynas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute hoot. Love hearing my son reading this to my granddaughter. Great rhythm and rhyme and brilliant illustrations by Matt Hunt. Something new to find every time.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Kat Schrav · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read a loud/rhyming book to read together with early readers to build confidence 3-5yos

[annya · Rating 5 out of 5]

That really was a very fancy cravat

[Tamsin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh dear! Oh dear! The cat and the rat and the bat want a hat and a cravat. Mayhem ensues.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amusing!

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boisterous rhyming fun with vibrant illustrations.

[Villain E · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cat and a rat fight over a hat until they are interrupted by a bat with a cravat.

A stready rhyme but not a steady beat. My daughter's response: "I'm amazed that they couldn't share."

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

A silly, fast-paced rhyming book. Great for early literacy. Vibrant; lots of bright yellow and pink!

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

would be great for a early reader

[Thomas Bell · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this is a stupid book about a bunch of poorly-drawn, self-centered animals that has no value whatsoever to a reader.

[Lillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good use of rhyming words but gets a little confusing

[Laura Degnan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this to my one-year-old 500 times and it’s still the book he picks out first every time. Funny, sweet, with great rhyme and rhythm play and we just LOVE the bat in the fancy cravat!