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Hattie the Bad
A little girl tries to be good but soon discovers that being bad is ever so much more fun.
32 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
January 10, 2021
Children occasionally do bad things - it's all part of living and learning, BUT when being bad is part of what makes you you, then I think poor Hattie's parents may have a The Bad Seed situation on their hands.
Hattie is basically bad to the bone, but she tries being good, which earns her no friends . . . so it's back to being bad again for our naughty little heroine. I'm confused as to the message of this book - be yourself, even if that means being a destructive little monster? Couldn't there be some happy medium?
This was a two-star book for me, though I did like Joe Berger's artwork quite a bit, particularly how he sometimes used the text from the story in his illustrations. The extra star belongs to him.
Hattie is basically bad to the bone, but she tries being good, which earns her no friends . . . so it's back to being bad again for our naughty little heroine. I'm confused as to the message of this book - be yourself, even if that means being a destructive little monster? Couldn't there be some happy medium?
This was a two-star book for me, though I did like Joe Berger's artwork quite a bit, particularly how he sometimes used the text from the story in his illustrations. The extra star belongs to him.
March 31, 2020
I'm not a fan of books about unredeemed little brats being naughty for naughty's sake, though I did get a chuckle out of the "underpants" moment.
September 13, 2014
I've got issues with this book. I don't think kids (or anyone else) ought to be labeled as good or bad. People are complex. At least in this story the label is allowed to change along with her pattern of behavior. I just don't think things are so black-and-white in reality. I don't like the way being good is associated with not having any fun. I don't like the way peer pressure plays such a strong role, whether positive or negative. I don't like how being good didn't pay off.
April 25, 2022
Harriet likes books with characters who have her own name. We don't call her Hattie but she uses it when playing video games. So I had to check out Hattie the Bad by Jane Devlin.
But then I felt guilty about it. What if she thought I thought she's bad, I worried. I read the book myself and found it hilarious. Hattie's got a thing for orange paint and frogs, but I still didn't read it to Harriet.
Instead, I chickened out and put the book amongst the other library picture books. I didn't mention it was there; she can read well enough to read the titles. She quickly found it, read it herself, giggled and then insisted that I read to her (in case she missed anything).
Hattie gets bored of being bad and decides to be good. She's as good at being good as she is at being bad. She's too good for her own good and in her moment of triumph comes to her senses and regains her bad streak.
Hattie the Bad ended up being a hit with both Harriet and Sean and got many re-reads before it had to go back to the library.
But then I felt guilty about it. What if she thought I thought she's bad, I worried. I read the book myself and found it hilarious. Hattie's got a thing for orange paint and frogs, but I still didn't read it to Harriet.
Instead, I chickened out and put the book amongst the other library picture books. I didn't mention it was there; she can read well enough to read the titles. She quickly found it, read it herself, giggled and then insisted that I read to her (in case she missed anything).
Hattie gets bored of being bad and decides to be good. She's as good at being good as she is at being bad. She's too good for her own good and in her moment of triumph comes to her senses and regains her bad streak.
Hattie the Bad ended up being a hit with both Harriet and Sean and got many re-reads before it had to go back to the library.
October 28, 2020
Hattie loves being bad and stirring up trouble, but when she realizes that being bad comes with a price, she decides to change her old ways and becomes good. Soon she realizes that being good isn’t all it has cracked up to be either. This story is humorous and the illustrations flow with it perfectly. It’s a good book to read with children or students when talking about behavior and choices. For an older group it allows them to weigh options and discuss the compromises of being good and bad. I really enjoyed this book and think it did a good job presenting this massage in a funny humorous and entertaining way
October 11, 2016
I thought this was a terrible book. I would never read this to my children in a classroom. Although I see the point they are trying to make, I don't think it was done in the right way. Children may like it, and good/bad behavior could be discussed throughout this book. Telling a child "They were dropped on their head as a child" is not something I think is right. I think that the picture part of the book was well done.
June 14, 2018
Hattie does bad things but soon discovers there is a cost. She decides to turn a new leaf and become good but loses all her friends in the process and suppresses what she wants in order to please her parent. She decides to get her friends back by being a little good with bouts of naughtiness. Not sure I like the moral of the story.
May 30, 2021
I didn't like the message of this one: If you are good, you will not have friends. I also didn't like that she was called "bad" when it's really her behavior that was bad. It's possible that she could have found some middle ground, been true to herself, and still been better behaved and had friends.
May 10, 2018
Oooooh, this one is so close to being worthy of storytime. Honestly, the line about her being dropped on her head kind of ruined it for me. It's clever, and I did get a kick out of it, but I can definitely see some parents raising eyebrows about that.
March 19, 2025
HATTIE!! Girlie you're so funny. This was such a quirky book! I loved it. Of course there were a few twists and turns and I wouldn't say it was the best book I've ever read but I would definitely check it out from the library more than once!
June 17, 2020
Finding the balance in your life is important.
August 12, 2010
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.
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.
April 22, 2012
Summary: Hattie is a little girl who is bad and not your average kind of bad. She is so bad that parents do want their kids to play with her. Hattie forms a plan to win over the parents but loses all of her friends in the process and has to find a way back to her old self.
Critique: The author does a very good job with creating a theme that children can relate to. The characters are also very similar to people they would know or even be able to compare the character to themselves. The pictures are very bright and then some of them are darker portray a more evil theme to depict the main characters change in moods. The conflicts in the story are very easy to relate to and are very relevant to young children's lives.
Response: This was a really cute story! I was a little surprised that no one discipline Hattie in the story for doing all of the bad things that she did. I can relate to this story because every child has a little bit of Hattie in them. They all pull tricks and do things they are not aloud to do however I do not agree that she is bad. I don't thing any child is bad. This would be a really fun book to read to your class to expose them to different kinds of picture books. Plus children always love books that are funny and when someone is causing a little mischief.
Critique: The author does a very good job with creating a theme that children can relate to. The characters are also very similar to people they would know or even be able to compare the character to themselves. The pictures are very bright and then some of them are darker portray a more evil theme to depict the main characters change in moods. The conflicts in the story are very easy to relate to and are very relevant to young children's lives.
Response: This was a really cute story! I was a little surprised that no one discipline Hattie in the story for doing all of the bad things that she did. I can relate to this story because every child has a little bit of Hattie in them. They all pull tricks and do things they are not aloud to do however I do not agree that she is bad. I don't thing any child is bad. This would be a really fun book to read to your class to expose them to different kinds of picture books. Plus children always love books that are funny and when someone is causing a little mischief.
October 27, 2015
I think the intended messages of this book were positive: be yourself and don't feel you have to be perfect. Good stuff. However, those messages get lost and unintended ones sneak through.
I don't like how the author uses the labels "good" and "bad." Kids are just kids. A mischievous behavior does not a bad person make. And on the flip side, trying to be good does not make a person boring. These are terrible messages to give to little people just coming to understand the most basic of social interactions, especially as their brains physiologically have poor impulse control.
Through the story, Hattie is "bad" and has lots of friends because they like her antics. Then she decides to be "good" and all of her friends leave her. How horrible! And she comes back to being "bad" and the kids all like her again. I think this is a truly terrible message on what makes friendship and on peer pressure.
And to top it all off, Hattie is said to have been dropped on her head as a baby, which completely freaked out my 4-year-old. She obsessed over this and kept asking me who dropped Hattie on her head and why. I kept explaining that it was a joke, but she's FOUR.
This book upset my kiddo on several levels. We're going to talk about it and then this book is going bye-bye.
I don't like how the author uses the labels "good" and "bad." Kids are just kids. A mischievous behavior does not a bad person make. And on the flip side, trying to be good does not make a person boring. These are terrible messages to give to little people just coming to understand the most basic of social interactions, especially as their brains physiologically have poor impulse control.
Through the story, Hattie is "bad" and has lots of friends because they like her antics. Then she decides to be "good" and all of her friends leave her. How horrible! And she comes back to being "bad" and the kids all like her again. I think this is a truly terrible message on what makes friendship and on peer pressure.
And to top it all off, Hattie is said to have been dropped on her head as a baby, which completely freaked out my 4-year-old. She obsessed over this and kept asking me who dropped Hattie on her head and why. I kept explaining that it was a joke, but she's FOUR.
This book upset my kiddo on several levels. We're going to talk about it and then this book is going bye-bye.
April 23, 2012
Summary:
This is a story about a very bad girl named Hattie. Hattie is so bad that she is not allowed to play with the other children because her parents do not allow her. So she decided to come up with a plan that will make the parents like her. Unfortunately, this plan makes all the kids hater her, and she has to find a way to get the kids to like her again.
Critique:
This is a good book because the author makes the characters someone people could relate to. The pictures are a mixture or bright portraits and a darker scenes, which can really help set the mood for the particular pages. the conflicts that are portrayed in this story are similar to some of the challenges that children face today.
Response:
I thought that this was a really good story, and is one that everyone could relate to. At some point in your life, there has been a time where you or someone you know has acted like Hattie. I believe that this would be a good book to share with the class, because it shows that people are not perfect and can mess up, but also make sure that you stress the pint to make sure these actions do not repeat themselves.
This is a story about a very bad girl named Hattie. Hattie is so bad that she is not allowed to play with the other children because her parents do not allow her. So she decided to come up with a plan that will make the parents like her. Unfortunately, this plan makes all the kids hater her, and she has to find a way to get the kids to like her again.
Critique:
This is a good book because the author makes the characters someone people could relate to. The pictures are a mixture or bright portraits and a darker scenes, which can really help set the mood for the particular pages. the conflicts that are portrayed in this story are similar to some of the challenges that children face today.
Response:
I thought that this was a really good story, and is one that everyone could relate to. At some point in your life, there has been a time where you or someone you know has acted like Hattie. I believe that this would be a good book to share with the class, because it shows that people are not perfect and can mess up, but also make sure that you stress the pint to make sure these actions do not repeat themselves.
July 11, 2016
Hattie the Bad by Jane Devlin
"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter
and those who matter don't mind." Dr. Seuss
Basically, this life lesson is what Jane Devlin’s main character, Hattie, learns in this adorable picture book.
Hattie is a precocious little girl whose idea of a fun time might be letting loose a box of frogs at school, or trying to sell spiders or her baby brother on the curbside, thus giving her the name “Hattie the Bad.” When Hattie changes her ways to please the parents of her friends, she finds that as “Hattie the Good,” she just isn’t as happy anymore.
This book is great for teaching children the importance of being themselves, but it also serves as a reminder for adults too!
July 8, 2010
Hattie reminds me of a little girl who, wasn't really bad, just sort of mischievous, who pulled the fire alarm in the library one day....
Hattie is bad (not really, she's a prankster), and parents tell their kids not to play with her, so she becomes good. Soooo good, in fact, that she wins an award for it...and since it is so incredibly boring being good she...well, you'll have to read the book to find out what she does.
The message here is to be true to yourself...no matter what!
I'm planning on pairing this with Edwardo, the Horriblest Boy in the World for a "Bad" storytime...YAY!
Hattie is bad (not really, she's a prankster), and parents tell their kids not to play with her, so she becomes good. Soooo good, in fact, that she wins an award for it...and since it is so incredibly boring being good she...well, you'll have to read the book to find out what she does.
The message here is to be true to yourself...no matter what!
I'm planning on pairing this with Edwardo, the Horriblest Boy in the World for a "Bad" storytime...YAY!
April 30, 2012
Hattie was once good, but she realized that being good meant you had to do things she did not want to do, like go to bed when told and eat food you don't like. So, she decided to be really, really bad; all the children thought she was fun and all parents did not want their children hanging around Hattie. Hattie wanted to have friends again and became really, but the she became too good that the other children did not like her. It is fun and early readers will enjoy the playfulness of the character. The text is used in an unique way throughout the book and the illustrations are bright and attention grabbing. Recommend for Kindergarten through 2nd grade. Published 2009.
October 13, 2016
I really enjoyed this book because I think it goes beyond Hattie being bad. I think that the importance of this book was wanting the approval of others. When parents wouldn’t let their children hang with her she became a good student, but, then the students didn’t want to play with her because nobody wanted to play with a student who was a “goodie” who got all the compliments. In the end she couldn’t please everyone because when she became bad again parents were upset and shock. So I think this is a great book to show students that you can’t always please everyone.
June 18, 2011
Preschoolers will enjoy and relate to this story about Hattie, who is very bad...perhaps because as a baby she was "dropped on her head". She seems to have realized that being good didn't get her attention...so she became bad--until she has an idea. She will be "just as good at being good as she had been at being bad". This seems to have some issues, too. Does she ever find the right balance between bad and good?
September 30, 2015
The first thing that catches my eyes is Hattie is spelled different from how it's usually spelled. Hattie was a rebel child and many other children like her because of it, even when she tried to be good. The illustration and text flow together I think a child would walk away with some meaning. Hattie the bad was well-design children can relate and make connection that why it's good children literature.
February 16, 2011
Great big book with big illustrations.
I'm not sure what I think of the story ... It's almost like a "Where the Wild Things Are" for girls. I love "Where the Wild Things Are," but this one is much wordier and not nearly as eloquent ... still, it's very cute.
The illustrations are what I enjoyed most about the book.
I'm not sure what I think of the story ... It's almost like a "Where the Wild Things Are" for girls. I love "Where the Wild Things Are," but this one is much wordier and not nearly as eloquent ... still, it's very cute.
The illustrations are what I enjoyed most about the book.
September 3, 2016
This wild book is a lot of fun for adults and older kids, though caretakers of the youngest tots may dislike a heroine who so happily models being bad.
I didn't really enjoy the fact that Hattie sometimes used animals in her pranks--such as letting a bunch of frogs loose in a crowd or even painting frogs orange.
I didn't really enjoy the fact that Hattie sometimes used animals in her pranks--such as letting a bunch of frogs loose in a crowd or even painting frogs orange.
March 29, 2016
The message seemed to be that if you're well-behaved and you're the best you could be, you will not have any friends. I cringed as I read this book to my 6-year-old son with whom I often reinforce good behavior. Luckily, he was more concerned with why Hattie often had a paint brush in her hand but nothing to paint, than he was with the negative message.
May 3, 2010
Hattie decides to be bad because being good is no fun! She comes to realize that she doesn't have any friends because of all the bad things she does. Will she have to become good again? Who knows what Hattie will decide to do!
May 7, 2010
This is a fun book to read aloud with children. We had as much fun pointing out things in the illustrations as we did reading the story. We laughed out loud a few times...especially at the end of the contest.
September 9, 2010
Eh. Not as funny as I'd hoped it would be, and I wish Hattie had ended not as Hattie-the-Bad-with-just-a-little-bit-of-Good, but Hattie-the-Good-with-just-a-little-bit-of-Bad. The only page that made me laugh was when, at a critical "good" moment, Hattie yelled out, "Underwear!"
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July 4, 2017I love the art in this book. However, while I can appreciate the message of the book is "always be yourself", it can also easily be taken as you need to be bad to get friends. This put me off the book.
November 25, 2015
Probably more enjoyable as a read aloud with elementary students than in my head at my desk. Could spark some interesting conversations about the effects of our behavior and what it means to be good or bad.
April 13, 2010
Too cute!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews