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). 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. As Elephant cheers, 'HOORAY FOR HAT!', the thought comes to mind that he should visit his friend, Zebra.

Inside is the box is an assortment of colorful hats, all of which Elephant dons at once, one on top of the other. What starts out as a grumpy day for elephant quickly becomes reason to celebrate when an unexpected package is delivered to his front doorstep. Recommended to anyone looking for fun picture-books for younger children, particularly picture-books with a real sense of visual whimsy.īrian 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. 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. The replacement of the gray scribble with a colorful hat was an effective visual representation of their changed mood.

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. 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.Ī 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. Fortunately, he has head-wear to share, and improves not just Zebra's day, but that of Turtle and Owl as well. 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. 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.

Hooray for Hat! by Brian Won