By Elizabeth Olsen & Robbie Arnett, Illustrated by Marissa Valdez
Viking, 2022
Picture book, 40 pages, ages 4-8
Hattie Harmony, a cute anthropomorphic cat, helps fellow classmates through their anxious first day of school. With her trusty Worry Detective Tool Belt, she teaches living in the moment, relaxation, breathing, and facing fears. A catchy mantra always helps, too: “Worry, worry, go away! There’s no time for you today!”
An Authors’ Note and an explanation of the tools in Hattie’s Tool Belt are included in the back matter.
This story is typical of a celebrity author. there is a lot of telling instead of showing. It is a story with a lesson, which at times skews a little preachy.
The adorable characters carry this book. The illustrations are cute and engaging, although sometimes the text and pictures struggle to work together because of the amount of words on the page.
While I appreciated the variety of animals depicted in the school, with only one disabled character, it felt like a token nod to inclusivity. Some readers might like to see more diversity. I also personally wanted more character development; Hattie always has all the answers, even when she faces her own fears, which are speedily solved. This is a very “safe” story with no real tension or story arc – it’s more a narrative on ways to manage anxiety.
Will kids like this book? While the theme of first day jitters is universally relatable, the story is wordy and might fail to keep some kids’ attention. Most will love the cute characters. If this book came out when I was a kid, one read would probably have been enough for me. And I doubt that I will read it again as an adult.
Hattie Harmony, Worry Detective by Elizabeth Olsen and Robbie Arnett gets 3 stars from this reviewer.