Product DetailsBook Review:  Hattie the Bad by Jane Devlin
Published by Dial Books for Young Readers, 2010

Here’s an interesting title, not the princessy-type of book I’d normally recommend for my daughter. Hattie used to be good until maybe she was dropped on her head. To her “being good meant you had to do ridiculous things like eating mushy food and going to bed when you weren’t even tired. And where was the fun in that?”  Hattie started doing “exciting bad things,” and other children wanted to play with her. However, parents put a stop to that. Hattie missed the social life so she started doing good things again. In fact, she became so good that her friends didn’t want to play with her. Hattie was even invited to “The Best-Behaved Child Ever” competition. As the television cameras zoomed in on her, Hattie said something shocking. All the children cheered while parents gasped. In the end, Hattie regained her friends. Now she was Hattie the Bad with some good.

Children will love the colorful illustrations by Joe Berger. They will also laugh at Hattie’s naughtiness. This book is a debatable one in which you’ll want to make sure your child understands that being bad is not good. You don’t want them getting the wrong message and then imitating Hattie. I’ll definitely talk to my daughter about this one! This is a good example that even though it’s a picture book, parents still need to stay involved and check what their kids are reading!