A review by tashrow
Hattie the Bad by Joe Berger, Jane Devlin

4.0

Hattie was a very good little girl until she realized how dull it was. Then she became Hattie the Bad, doing naughty but very fun things. The other children loved her, but their parents stopped letting them play with Hattie. So Hattie decided to be good again, perfect even. The parents started pushing their children to be more like Hattie, but then the children stopped playing with her because she was so perfect. Hattie was so very good that she even got an award for being the Best-Behaved Child Ever! When in front of the cameras and asked to speak, Hattie stopped being good for good.

This book is all about being true to yourself and not trying to be what others expect you to be. Hattie strikes a nice balance at the end of the book, being quite naughty, with “just a teensy bit of good.” Devlin’s writing is over the top, adding to the fun and zinging energy of the book. Berger matches that with his great illustrations. Though the cover has a limited orangey palette, the book uses a more full spectrum of color. Nicely, the illustrations have a bit of seventies vibe in them. Readers should have fun watching for the frogs to appear and reappear throughout the book as well as laughing in glee when Hattie turns back into herself.

A naughty girl, perhaps, but a very nice read. Appropriate for ages 4-6.