Harriet is having a bad day – it is her birthday! What? You ask? How is it a bad day then? Well, all her friends have forgotten her birthday so she has to have a lonesome celebration with herself. On her way home, she meets her friends as they hurry elsewhere and greets them, but not one remembers to wish her. Until the very end when….. but I don’t want to ruin the surprise!!!

A book with cute and colorful illustrations with details that kids will enjoy pointing out. It might also inspire them to try drawing some of the more simpler illustrations in the book. The book also includes discussion questions and fun activities around birthdays and celebrating them.

Conclusion: A cute addition for young readers

Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley for the digital review copy of ‘Hurry Home, Harriet’ . These thoughts are my honest opinions of the book.

Right from the start, Lucy has set a scene that so many will be able to recognise – the fear that their birthday has gone unnoticed with no celebration. What makes this book so enjoyable is that we the readers are in on the surprise because Lucy has put in little clues so children can guess that Harriet’s friends are in their way to her surprise party.

Who doesn’t love a surprise birthday party? Wrap that up in a picture book and you’ve got a winning combination. I was always going to like reading this book because my little girl is obsessed with (other people’s) birthday parties. Lucy has taken a well-known concept and fictionalised it into a lovely, heart warming story of friendship, kindness and celebration.

I am very grateful to the publisher for providing me with an advanced digital copy via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Adults will surely know where this story is heading but young children may not.  This short picture book that is illustrated in a bright and cheerful way; it is full of anthropomorphised animals and appealing scenes. 


In the story, it is Harriet's birthday.  She is sad because no-one is acknowledging her special day,  even though it is made clear that she is a kind and helpful friend.  Harriet is grumpy and plans to have her own celebration when...


Young listeners will enjoy the ending to this book.  For adults, there are some discussion questions and activities at the end so that they can extend the story with children.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

This is a somewhat predictable story about Harriet the bunny who thinks everyone has forgotten her birthday. She miserably goes through her day, only to find out that her friends have planned a surprise party. Harriet is the kindest friend and at the end everyone says they could never forget her birthday because she’s so generous. I found it a bit off putting that she was so grumpy throughout the book and I felt myself wishing she could find some joy in her day. She is delighted at the end though, so that is good, and I’ve got to remember how hard it would be as a child to feel forgotten when your birthday is so important!
For a children’s book I was happy to see the colorful use of “said” written as: called out, sang out, calling, laughed, sighed, thought, and thanked. As a first grade teacher, I could use this as a mentor texts to show my students author’s craft not only for alternatives for “said” but also for great adverbs and adjectives that bring the characters to life.
There are some great questions at the back of the book. To encourage finding text based evidence, I personally would add: Now that you know there was a surprise party, look back to find any evidence in the story that gives a clue that Harriet’s friends were preparing for a party.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group/QEB Publishing for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is a children's book. Harriet a bunny assumes none of her friends remember her birthday. Surprise!! Cute story, 4 stars

Harriet is having a horrible birthday. On her way home from town, she sees many of her friends, and not one wishes her a Happy Birthday. Did they all forget, or is Harriet in for a surprise?

Kids will enjoy noticing all the clues in this picture book, and the illustrations are very sweet.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.*

An adorable story about Harriet, a little rabbit, who is sad because she thinks her friends have forgotten about her birthday. She decides to buy a cake and have a birthday lunch on her own. One by one she meets and helps her friends. Of course, when she gets home, they are all there waiting for her with a surprise party.
The artwork in this book is wonderful with its subtle pastel colours and sweet animal characters. My son kept asking why Harriet was so sad- her face is very expressive. He also enjoyed noticing little details that 'give away' what Harriet's friends are up to. I believe the story would work the best with four year olds, although five year olds can have a discussion about what being a good friend means.
Thank you to Netgalley and QEB (Quarto Publishing Group) for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

A great read-to book for anyone who has ever been lonely or has misunderstood the action of others.

This book, which seems so sad at first, ends with a happy surprise. It is a good lesson on jumping to conclusions, misunderstanding the actions of others and how important it is to remember other people’s special days.

The writing is clear enough for a young child to understand. The book will likely be followed by questions so the “Next Steps” section at the end is invaluable. It includes Discussion and Comprehension; Surprise Birthday Party Planning; and Make a Birthday Card for Harriet.

The illustrations are cute and colorful, which will be attractive to children of varying ages. With just a change in the mouth of the characters, Ms. Barnard manages to show a variety of emotions. The ability to convey feeling with just a simple alteration is unique and she does it very well.


I received an ARC from Quarto Publishing through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.

This is a sweet book to add to a young child book collection, illustrations are simple but effective but the story is quite obvious for anyone over 4.

Hurry Home Harriet by Lucy Barnard is a very sweet little story. My two year old niece loved it very much.

Everyone has felt like Harriet at one point or another in their life. My 6 year old and I were able to have a great conversation about being a good friend, even if you don't think the other person is being a good friend. You never know what the other person is going through. Maybe it ends with a suprise party or maybe you walk away doing something good for someone in need. This book has beautiful illustrations and an easy to read story. The discussion and activity at the end was a great conversation starter. I would definitely recommend this book. We are all fans of sweet Harriet. The only thing that threw me was the title- Hurry Home, but that wasn't really the premise. She didn't know what was awaiting her at home and she wasn't in a hurry.

What an extremely cute book! Perfect for any child that wants to read a good book about birthdays.

Writing: The story is easy to comprehend and there's not too much text that it keeps a child interested throughout the story. There's a good buildup to the eventual surprise party which will delight any child.

Illustrations: I absolutely adore the illustrations! They are cute and too the point. Most of the page is an illustration which gives a child a lot to see and they can even make up their own story if they want.

I would definitely recommend this book to young readers. It's the kind of book that won't bore parents too much when they have to read it for the 100th time. It gets 4 stars from me simply because I've seen books that striked my fancy just a bit more.

Harriet is very upset because it seems as if everyone has forgotten her birthday. She goes out to buy a cake for one and runs into her friends. Sadly, none of them wish her a happy birthday. This book has a sweet predictable text at the end. Great for younger kids.

I loved this book and so did my two year old daughter, she is very picky with what I can read with her as she has a vast library of books even at this young age, so I can honestly say that this must have been a good one!

The illustrations are very cute and she loved pointing out the different characters and was sad that Harriet wouldn't get to share her birthday with her friends, but we enjoyed the ending the most.

It is 5 stars from us for this one, and as she asked for me to read it again straight after it is most definitely a hit here! Very highly recommended!!

This delightful story is about a little girl named Harriet who wakes up on the day of her birthday and discovers that none of her friends have remembered her special day. It upsets her to think that they have forgotten but she is determined to make her day a happy one.

"I'm going to make my own birthday lunch," she said to herself grumpily "I suppose if you want something done then you have to do it yourself."

She bikes to the store and purchases some nice things for her lunch and a cake for one then hurries off home. On the way she passes her friends who seem overly busy and don't even say happy birthday or want to chat to her which makes her even more grumpy. How inconsiderate they are!

When she finally pedals to her home she is blown away... all her friends didn't forget about her but are in her back yard ready to give her a birthday party extraordinaire! Harriet was overjoyed that her good friends didn't forget her birthday and together they indulged in the best birthday lunch that a little girl could ever wish for. Her birthday wish had come true... friends and their love are the best birthday gifts ever!

This heartwarming book highlights the themes of friendship, kindness, caring and gratitude. The illustrations are kid-friendly and full of detail and expression. The story is simple to read and the author has provided a "Next Steps" page at the end of the book that provides guidance for parents, caregivers and teachers. I recommend this book.

This is basically a story about an entitled bunny who gets upset when it appears nobody remembers her birthday.

Of course, anyone over the age of six will likely realize that her friends are planning a surprise party. I do like the way Harriet, in spite of her disappointment, still attempts to be a kind friend. And the pictures are fairly cute, if a bit simple.

I'm not a fan of the discussion section at the back. Rather than reinforcing the idea that everyone's entitled to a birthday party (and pitting kids against each other to see who can plan the best one), a more interesting discussion might be about how not everyone around the world even celebrates their birthday, and the reasons for that.

This is just an okay picture book for me. Harriet's attitude kind of bothered me, but kids who live for birthday parties will probably be able to relate to her "problem".

This book is for an audience young enough to not feel troubled by utterly, utterly obvious plots. Harriet is a pleasant, friendly, charitable rabbit, living in a world where everyone is too busy to talk to her and to celebrate her birthday with her. Is she right to think of herself as a Bunny No Mates, though? Well, what do you think? Very pleasant, and one to share with an undemanding, junior audience.

I loved this book! The illustrations are so cute. The little extra at the end really enhanced the story too.

Hurry Home Harriet is a story about a rabbit who's birthday it is. She passes friends during the day who don't say happy birthday and she feels sad. Little does she know there friends were on the way to her surprise party!

Easy to read story with questions and activities at the end (we didn't do the activities as it was bedtime!) I read this with my 6 year old daughter she enjoyed the story and when asked for her review she said
'it was sad when her friends did not say happy birthday as that's not very nice, but I give it a 5/5'.

This is a cute little book about miscommunication. Harriet should have let her friends know she was sad, and they definitely should’ve worked out a way to surprise her without making her think they forgot her birthday! The illustrations are bright and bold and there are activities at the end to help turn it into a full lesson.