Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

A lonely dachshund named Mr. Pockles finds new friends when he shares his extensive collection of elaborately decorated hats with other animals from his town.Mr. Pockles lives all alone in his house with a hat-shaped roof, surrounded by his collection of imaginative hats, each one named and adorned with thematic decorations for every occasion. He longs to attend the Hat Day celebration at the PandaPolitan Club, but only pandas are allowed at the exclusive destination. While stopping in a bakery for a treat to cheer himself up, Mr. Pockles meets Lady Coco Fitz-Tulip, a grande dame of the panda set on her way to the Hat Day event. She is wearing a Carmen Miranda-style hat covered with fruit, and in a hilarious sequence, her hat is eaten by baby bunnies. Mr. Pockles invites Lady Fitz-Tulip and the other animals from the cafe back to his house, where they all choose new hats. Lady Fitz-Tulip takes everyone to Hat Day as her special guests, as "friends of pandas are invited, too." The drolly humorous story is told in a strong narrative voice, with melodramatic flair, clever dialogue, and distinctive personalities for both Mr. Pockles and Lady Fitz-Tulip. Vibrant mixed-media illustrations use a cool palette with jewel-toned accents and glowing lights in the city buildings that impart a fairy-tale aura to the setting. This amusing story is delicately threaded with some subtle lessons about sharing, making friends, and including everyone. (Picture book. 4-8)

ALA Booklist (Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2018)

Depressed Mr. Pockles may have more fancy hats than Bartholomew Cubbins, but he has neither friends nor, being a dog, an invitation to Hat Day at the pandas-only PandaPolitan Club. All of this (except the dog part) changes, though, when some hungry baby bunnies create a fashion emergency by chowing down on the fruit-laden bonnet of black-and-white socialite Coco Fitz-Tulip. Mr. Pockles not only has the perfect replacement extravagantly plumed confection t enough headgear in his sumptuous stash to outfit an entire crowd of bare-headed onlookers when the delighted diva invites one and all to join her at the club. Littlefield echoes and magnifies the stylish swing of Lloyd-Jones' tale with illustrations that not only feature arrays and displays of fantastically baroque toppers but also a palette of colors so glowingly warm and intense that the animal figures, their dress, and surroundings all seem to sparkle with joie de vivre. The stark contrast between Mr. Pockles' unstinting generosity and the darker emotions in Jon Klassen's Hat trilogy suggest thought-provoking storytime pairings, too.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

A lonely dachshund named Mr. Pockles finds new friends when he shares his extensive collection of elaborately decorated hats with other animals from his town.Mr. Pockles lives all alone in his house with a hat-shaped roof, surrounded by his collection of imaginative hats, each one named and adorned with thematic decorations for every occasion. He longs to attend the Hat Day celebration at the PandaPolitan Club, but only pandas are allowed at the exclusive destination. While stopping in a bakery for a treat to cheer himself up, Mr. Pockles meets Lady Coco Fitz-Tulip, a grande dame of the panda set on her way to the Hat Day event. She is wearing a Carmen Miranda-style hat covered with fruit, and in a hilarious sequence, her hat is eaten by baby bunnies. Mr. Pockles invites Lady Fitz-Tulip and the other animals from the cafe back to his house, where they all choose new hats. Lady Fitz-Tulip takes everyone to Hat Day as her special guests, as "friends of pandas are invited, too." The drolly humorous story is told in a strong narrative voice, with melodramatic flair, clever dialogue, and distinctive personalities for both Mr. Pockles and Lady Fitz-Tulip. Vibrant mixed-media illustrations use a cool palette with jewel-toned accents and glowing lights in the city buildings that impart a fairy-tale aura to the setting. This amusing story is delicately threaded with some subtle lessons about sharing, making friends, and including everyone. (Picture book. 4-8)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Lloyd-Jones (Goldfish on Vacation) opens by describing hat fancier Mr. Pockles-s collection, including one under glass that he-s never worn (-It was Too Special and he was saving it for Best-). Mr. Pockles, a shy, impeccably groomed hound with long ears and blue eyes, dreams of appearing at Hat Day at the PandaPolitan Club. Only pandas are allowed in, however, so he mopes at the Treat House in his -Jaunty Hat with a Friendly Feather.- When prominent panda Lady Coco Fitz-Tulip sashays into the café and loses her fruit hat to some hungry baby bunnies, Mr. Pockles saves the day--HOLD ON TO YOUR HATS, EVERYONE!--giving Lady Coco his Best hat and distributing the rest to the crowd. Naturally, Lady Coco brings them all to the PandaPolitan Club. The tale has more than a whiff of royalism, with its exclusive club and its fascination with Lady Coco-s family pedigree (she-s -even had streets named after her-). But Litchfield (When Paul Met Artie) creates crisp mixed-media spreads that revel in jewel-box colors and patterns; his hats are adorned with hearts, feathers, and even a miniature roller coaster. The hats are the star attraction here. Ages 4-8. (Jan.)

School Library Journal (Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2018)

PreS-Gr 2 Mr. Pockles is a lonely dog with a wonderful hat for every occasion and not a friend to share them with. Leaving his Hat House one day, he witnesses the destruction of a beautiful hat and he alone can rectify the problem. Through his fabulous collection, Mr. Pockles connects with his neighbor and learns that by sharing his hobby he can make friends. This story about friendship and self-expression falls short of captivating due to its awkward sentences and jumpy storytelling; this however, does not diminish the beautifully enthralling illustrations. With big bold images that dominate the pages, the story can be navigated and enjoyed primarily through digital pictures. While the images and subject matter target beginning readers, the word choice and sentence structure require greater comprehension. VERDICT Purchase this attractive work where anthropomorphic animal tales are enjoyed. Haley Amendt, Hinton Municipal Library, Alberta