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Review: Nat the Cat Has a Hat

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By Jarrett Lerner
New York: Simon Spotlight, 2025. Easy Reader. 

Nat and Pat are back... this time with hats! Nat the Cat has a hat, but so does Pat the Rat --a different, and perhaps nicer hat? Nat wants what Pat has! Through an increasing series of comical hat changes, we see Nat struggle with some feelings of jealous over Pat's hats, which culminates in a fit of frustration on Nat's part. Will Nat and Pat come to an agreement, and how can they solve this problem? 

In this fourth installment of the Nat the Cat series, young readers will empathize with the common frustration of wanting what somebody else has, but not always being able to resolve those feelings in the best way. While ultimately Nat and Pat come to an agreeable solution, readers will thoroughly enjoy the journey to get there.  Lerner's expressive illustrations perfectly complement the sparse text making it easy for beginners to parse out context, while eliciting fits of giggles. Be sure to follow this series for more titles as they are all quality works of fiction, and perfect for making learning to read fun!
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