Review by Booklist Review
A party invitation boasting the biggest, bestest, hattiest party of all time comes with a condition: you MUST bring a hat. This poses a dilemma for our narrator, who doesn't own one. And so a quest begins. Each opportunity to acquire said hat comes with a bizarre condition, so soon he is accompanied by a hat-wearing monkey, a badger with a monocle, and an elephant in tutus, to name a few. Hindley's colorful illustrations emphasize the ridiculous situations and provide clues for what's coming (watch the monkey chase a piano-removal truck), and discoveries can be made on repeated readings. The madcap parade seems matter-of-fact, as does our narrator, who finally becomes incensed at the ridiculous demands. We learn more about him in context clues (the invitation reminds him not to be late THIS TIME), and the text itself, bolded at times for emphasis, offers fun vocabulary (shindig, negotiate, monocle). Pair with Dr. Seuss' And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street for another raucous progression of characters.--Ching, Edie Copyright 2017 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Horn Book Review
A young boy receives an invitation to Nigel's "HATTIEST PARTY OF ALL TIME." Armed with a hat-wearing monkey, the boy encounters tight security and faces additional entrance criteria until he learns he's at the wrong address (and party). Detailed double-page illustrations show guests arriving at each side-by-side party. Readers will enjoy noticing the boy's mistake before he does. (c) Copyright 2019. 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.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A little boy is invited to a party. The only stipulation is that he must bring a hat, which proves to be a lot more complicated than it sounds. A white tot with a ski-jump swoop of brown hair is going to the "biggest, bestest, hattiest party of all time" (according to the invite). But alas, he does not own a hat! When even the local haberdashery doesn't have one, the boy turns desperate. He spies a monkey with a hat, but the monkey will not lend it to him. So he must take the monkey (and its hat) to the party with him. But then he runs into another problem. The doorman at the party has a laundry list of other rulesone specifically being that a hat-wearing monkey may not come in unless it has a monocle. Thus starts an absurd chain of events that ends with a penguin wielding a suitcase full of cheese. When the little boy can't take it anymore and shouts across the page that he has indeed brought a hat, a misconception is cleared up and he finally goes to the (multiculturally populated) party. Sharp-eyed readers who aren't distracted by the silly, cumulative requirements may notice the loophole that solves the problem earlier in the story, causing all the more giggles. Mounting exasperation, preposterous rules, and just plain fun make this party a surefire hit. (Picture book. 3-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
