From Publishers Weekly
Rembrandt, a wide-eyed teddy bear with a frog peeking out of his pocket, pauses in the park to watch a clown juggle eggs and he loses his lucky hat to a gust of wind. So opens this satisfyingly spontaneous and quirky tale, a finely tuned collaboration between debut author Blackaby and DePalma (The Strange Egg). Mixed-media illustrations drolly depict a spirited cast of animal characters the clown juggling the eggs, for example, is shown as a caterpillar in a frilly collar, balancing on stilts with one set of its legs. Rembrandt's laments evoke sympathy from a bird, who obligingly offers himself as a hat substitute. But the bird's feet are prickly and he doesn't stay long, wisely opting to take off when a cat appears and telling Rembrandt, "Your hat looks good enough to eat." Feeling "partly responsible" for the bear's "hat" having flown away, the cat climbs onto Rembrandt's head, but he proves to be heavy, lumpy and fidgety. Rembrandt's dilemma seems to be solved when a rabbit escorts him to a hat shop, where he tries on an array of exotic chapeaux (which DePalma conveys in a delicious series of head shots). Alas, the one he purchases a polka-dotted clown hat that conveniently comes with chin ribbons isn't quite right either. Blackaby and DePalma cap this comical caper with a pleasing set of solutions. All in all, simply fedorable. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2-A quirky story of a bear that loses his hat and tries a number of unusual substitutes before discovering a successful one. The first replacement is a bird of exactly the same shade of blue as the lost item, but his prickly feet and restlessness prove tedious. After the bird is made uneasy by a cat that takes a special interest in such an unusual hat, the feline offers to take his place but proves to be heavy (when sleeping) and also quite fidgety (when awake and swatting at things). For some reason, the hapless Rembrandt continues in this state until a bossy rabbit suggests a trip to the hat shop. Though there are many marvelous options, which the illustrations convey splendidly, Rembrandt listens to the others and ends up with another inappropriate hat. It is only when he strikes out on his own that he discovers the perfect fit. From a very simple initial premise, this curious tale with offbeat humor unfolds. The text is clearly written in short sentences with good pacing for reading aloud. However, children will want to take a closer look, as the illustrations deserve careful inspection. The book is beautifully designed, with excellent use of white space. A fun, but not essential, purchase.
Robin L. Gibson, Perry County District Library, New Lexington, OH Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
