There are dozens of children's books where a hat (or hats) plays a central role in the story. Here's a partial list [see below] -- all of which are in The Village Hat Shop's books on hats collection.
Why are there so many children's books about hats? Those of you who are regular readers of the HAT BLOG or the "Hat Information and Resources" section of VillageHatShop.com may have an inkling where I am about to go. Yes, this is in fact another example of a theme that runs throughout the blog and the site, i.e. hats matter. Hats are cultural icons. Hats sit prominently and significantly on the top of one's head. Hats are a bridge to history. Hats transform the wearer. Hats, as a symbol, can be simple and complex at the same time. Hats are fun. As an object to revolve a story around, a hat is a perfect fit. Let's take a smattering of examples:
Hats as a bridge to learning about history and as a file cabinet for important letters and papers: ABE LINCOLN'S HAT.
Hats as head covering for chemotherapy patients and as an object helping to sustain hope: KATHY’S HATS.
Hat ("Bad Hat" specifically) as metaphor for a person: MADELINE AND THE BAD HAT.
Hat as superhero: THE HAT (Ungerer).
Hat as a valuable item for barter: THE SCARECROWS HAT.
Hat as an eccentric and highly individual fashion statement: MISS HUNNICUTT’S HAT.
Hat as a good luck charm: MY LUCKY HAT.
Hat as an article spurring recall and story telling: MISS FANNIE’S HAT and AUNT FLOSSIE’S HATS (AND CRAB CAKES LATER).
Hat as an old friend and companion and as a metaphor for change: UNCLE NACHO’S HAT/EL SOMBRERO DEL TIO NACHO.
Granted, I am guilty of an a priori bias to infuse headwear with a high degree of symbolic significance, cache, cultural value, and the like (I’ve got to justify my existence somehow for god’s sake), and yet who can argue with its validity? Clearly, writers and artists from Seuss to Keats to Bemelmans to Scarry et al. who don’t share my self-interested prejudice, still find this relevance in hats.
But, I believe, the proliferation of the hat in children’s literature is more than all this. Parenting in modern America can feel like an out of control merry-go-round. The drumbeat of media messages to buy the right toys, infuse your home with the right music [Mozart] so as to promote brain development, commit to the right "play group", enroll the child in the right pre-school (that promises to prepare your kid for the Ivy League), treading through the ubiquitous disingenuity (politicians and advertisers spinning, lying, and double-speaking) and deciding when and what to expose your innocent to the modern world, rampant commercialism (don’t buy anything except a hat), war – is it any wonder why a parent is attracted to a simple story that revolves around a simple honest object that connotes a simpler time. Hat as nostalgic icon – yes, that too. But alas, more than nostalgia - for crying out loud, the parent understandably wants to take her kid off that crazy modern merry-go-round. The parent has an epiphany -- don’t heap all this adult nonsense and anxiety upon my kid –– I’ll buy a little book and read about a hat. This is a good thing to do in our hyper-complex 21st Century -- it’s in fact good for the soul.
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Grinelda The Mad Hatter
Story by Mary Jo Reinhart
Artwork by Paula Nathan
It's true that people who wear hats have often been seen as eccentric, outside the fashion mainstream. (Fortunately for The Village Hat Shop this is rapidly changing.) As Grinelda appreciates, hat-making is an art form and staying true to your art will pay dividends in the long run.
Middle to upper elementary school-age children need to read books like this, as Grineldas - everywhere and in every generation - need the support that it offers.
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Red Hat Green Hat
By Louise Gikow. Illustrated by Joe Mathieu.
Reminiscent of Seuss'
Butter Battle Book, this story is a metaphor of how the world sometimes gets out of whack. Most things in life are not simply black or white (or shall we say red or green). One's point of view can be a case of selective perception and be quite different from the truth of the matter (quantum mechanics). Both my sons loved
The Butter Battle Book - I wish I had known this book when they were young as I am certain they would have appreciated it as well.
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The 500 Hats Of Bartholomew Cubbins
by Dr. Seuss. The Vanguard Press, 1938
Dr. Seuss's second book was a childhood staple of mine. If one believes in the destiny of early influences then this book might just be responsible for my entry into the hat business. This great, lesser known Seuss story addresses the fact that the hat has historically served to establish the individual's rank in society and that relationship to the origins of hat etiquitte.
Bartholomew along with three of his hats can be seen at our Dr. Seuss Hats page.
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The Cat In The Hat
by Dr. Seuss, Random House, 1957.
A children's book classic. Most likely you don't need me to give my two-cents worth regarding this best seller save for the fact that we sell the official, licensed hat worn by the main character. In fact we sell many officially licensed Dr. Seuss Hats.
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THE CAT IN THE HAT COMES BACK
by Dr. Seuss. Random House, 1958.
The sequel to THE CAT IN THE HAT
The Cat in the Hat's hat is available at our Dr. Seuss Hats page.
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The Hat
by Tomi Ungerer
Hat as personified super-hero.
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What a Hat
By Holly Keller
Do you want to prepare your kid for a career in psychotherapy? Here's the book for you - Newton's obsession with his hat is a mystery. Will he ever take it off? How will a guy like Newton deal with school rules or social etiquette? I liked this book a lot - very thought provoking. Here's another that I wish I knew about when my sons were young.
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A Hat for Minerva Loise
By Janet Morgan Stoeke
A hat is not a hat. But this "non-hat" is just the right hat. And, we need one when it's cold outside
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Aunt Lucy Went to Buy A Hat
By Alice Low. Illustrated by Laura Huliska-Beith
I chuckled aloud on the first page. And it stays funny too - if you don't worry too much about what a nut-case Aunt Lucy is. I really appreciated the political incorrectness of this book, rather unusual and refreshing in today's children's literature (hooray).
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A Three Hat Day
By Laura Geringer. Pictures by Arnold Lobel
I remember when this book appeared (1985). I was new to the hat business amd this book spoke to me. From the first illustration where R.R. Pottle the Third is sitting in a big chair reading "Hats In History" to the scene in the hat store, and all the rest, this book is for those who love and understand the allure of hats.
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Do You Have A Hat?
By Eileen Spinelli. Illustrated by Geraldo Valerio.
Certain individuals are so closely associated with their hats that it is hard to think of either the hat or the person without the other coming to mind - Abe Lincoln and his stove-pipe top hat, Carmen Miranda and her towering hat of fruit, Daniel Boone and his coonskin hat - to name a few. This book introduces youngsters to these folks as well as other historical figures the likes of Walt Whitman, Francisco de Goya, Amelia Earhart, and others. Any hat nut, myself for example, will love this book.
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Which Hat Is That?
By Anna Grossnickle Hines. Illustrated by LeUyen Pham
Most of us wear many hats. This book takes it literally, showing young readers which hats are worn for which activities. Kids will like flipping the flaps that reveal the names of the hats.
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Hetty's 100 Hats
Story by Janet Slingsby. Illustrated by Emma Dodd
Hetty is an inveterate hat collector. She won't rest until she gets to one hundred hats. I found this to be a very fun read - in part, no doubt, because I am a hatter. Young children will learn counting as well as reading. (I won't be the only one who gets a kick out of seeing all these hats assembled at the end of the book. Am I? These must be others out there besides Hetty and me.)
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Mrs Honey's Hat
Written and Illustrated by Pam Adams
A large aspect of the history of millinery (women's hats) includes the ever-changing and anything-goes area of hat trimmings. This book is about that. Mrs. Honey had quite an eventful week as her hat evloved day by day.
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Under My Hood I Have a Hat
By Karla Kuskin. Illustrated by Fumi Kosaka.
Boy, this book brought back childhood memories in Michigan (I've been in San Diego for the past 26 years). In cold climates, you cannot just "go outside" in the winter. Rather, one must prepare for this action. [I remember teaching this to a friend I met in college who was from Miami, Flordia - a smart guy but he just couldn't get used to bundling up before venturing out.]
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Bad Cat puts on his top hat
By Tracy-Lee McGuinness-Kelly
Bad Cat goes from a cad to being a feline Fred Astaire. Bad Cat is a little too self-absorbed and hip for my taste (that's the point of course, but still not my cup of tea). I may be too old for this book.
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Mr. George and the Red Hat
Mr. George and the Red Hat
Written and Illustrated by Stephen Heigh
Mr. George, a squirrel, finds a hat in the park. When he can't find its rightful owner, he decides that this hat suits him very well is useful, until . . . .
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Aunt Flossie's Hats (and Crab Cakes Later)
Aunt Flossie's Hats (and Crab Cakes Later)
By Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard. Paintings by James Ransome
Elizabeth and Sarah visit their grandmother every Sunday. They love going through her many boxes of hats, each with a story. The hats serve as important family heirlooms and as a means of connection to family history.
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Who's Under That Hat?
Who's Under That Hat?
By David A. Carter
A pop-up book with various animals hiding under different kinds of hats -- with a surprise last animal. Little ones really like these pop-up books.
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Who Took The Farmer's Hat?
Who Took The Farmer's Hat?
By Joan L. Nodset. Pictures by Fritz Siebel
A strong wind blows away the farmer's hat. He searches far and wide for it, asking all his animals friends if they have seen it. When he finally finds it, . . . .
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Mr. Frumble's Biggest Hat Flap Book
Mr. Frumble's Biggest Hat Flap Book
By Richard Scarry
Mr. Frumble and his hat are friends. The hat is greeted in the morning when Mr. Frumble awakens. One day his hat flies out the window and is run over in the street by various vehicles. If you know Richard Scarry and his flap books, you know that little ones are very entertained by these interactive books.
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Bamboo Hats and a Rice Cake
By Ann Tompert. Illustrated by Demi.
Not only is the story, adapted from Japanese folklore, unusual reading, but the addition of Japanese characters (used along with key nouns) together with Japanese style art and bookmaking make this book a great learning experience. I am reminded of a childhood favorite of mine, The Five Chinese Brothers. Thinking back, this book stands out because of the strange (from my childhood point of view) culture I was introduced to. Although I never made the connection before, I have become an avid Sinophile reading many books about China and traveling there in 1991 and 2004. Books like this one, Uncle Nacho's Hat, and others provide children great early insight into the world outside of their direct experience.
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The Mouse, the Cat, and Grandmother's Hat
By Nancy Willard. Illustrated by Jenny Mattheson.
This is a nonsense story. Kids like these kinds of books - think Seuss or Edward Lear (The Quangle Wangle's Hat). There's a Victorian feel to the illustrations (although the setting is not specifically those times) and I think kids will like the facial expresssions.
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Old Hat New Hat
By Stan & Jan Berenstain
This has become (in my humble estimation) a children's hat book classic. It's been in print a long time (1970) - I read it to my son, now 26, when he was a toddler. It's very simple (good for early readers) and silly. Kids like silly. As the book attests (and as a hat merchant, I will affirm), there are all kinds of hats in this world.
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Pajama Sam The Magic Hat Tree
Pajama Sam: The Magic Hat Tree
Written by Gina Gold. Illustrated by Sue DiCicco
The transforming nature of hats, a recurring theme in writings about headgear, is again highlighted in this book. The primary appeal for kids will be all the pull-tabs and lift-the-flap type stuff going on, non-stop, during the reading.
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Kathy's Hats
Kathy's Hats: A story of hope
By Trudy Krisher. Illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott
Kathy tells her childhood story and of her bout with cancer. The significance of hats in her life have twists and turns as the story moves from Kathy's life before cancer, to during chemotherapy, and finally to remission.
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Blue Hat, Green Hat
Blue Hat, Green Hat
By Sandra Boynton
A book for very early readers (or for reading to 2-3 year-olds). This book is one in a series "Serious silliness for all ages" -- slapstick for little ones, fun.
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The Christmas Hat
The Christmas Hat
Written by A.J. Wood. Illustrated by Maggie Kneen
A keepsake quality book with embossed illustrations, high-quality binding, and dust jacket. A lovely story set in the North Woods -- nature enthusiasts will find this delightful.
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Madeline and the Bad Hat
Madeline and the Bad Hat
By Ludwig Bemelmans
Pepito, the son of the next-door-neighbor Spanish ambassador is a "bad hat". His life changes as a result of a traumatic event where Miss Clavel and Madeline save the day.
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The Quangle Wangle's Hat
The Quangle Wangle's Hat
By Edward Lear. Illustrated by Louise Voce
Quangle Wangle Quee's hat becomes a suitable location as home for various animals. This is a narrative nonsense poem by Edward Lear. Lear (1812-1888) is well known for popularizing the humerous form of verse now known as the limerick.
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The Scarecrow's Hat
The Scarecrow's Hat
Written and illustrated by Ken Brown
Starting with the Scarecrow's hat, all the animals barter in an effort to get what they need.
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My Lucky Hat
My Lucky Hat
By Kevin O'Malley
Frank saves the day for The Knights when he loans his lucky hat to the team's slugger.
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The Magic Hat
The Magic Hat
By Mem Fox. Illustrated by Tricia Tusa.
It would be fun to read this lyrical book aload to children. Turning each page would be eagerly anticipated and fun.
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Jennie's Hat
by Ezra Jack Keats. Harper & Row, 1966.
A children's tale about Jennie and her obsession with hats (she even sneezes "HAT-CHOO!"). The book's theme revolves around hat trimmings, a vital element in the success of any finished hat. View our childrens hats
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THE CASE OF THE MISSING HAT STARRING JIM HENSON'S MUPPETS
by Gregory Williams and illustrated by Rosekrans Hoffman. Muppets Press/Random House, 1982.
Fozzie Bear cannot go on stage and perform without his missing hat. Distraught, he sniffs, "My hat and I-we were a team." Not so far fetched a premise; can you imagine Charlie Chaplin without his Bowler?
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When Everybody Wore a Hat
by William Steig, Joanna Cotler Books, 2003
This is a delightful children's book about the boyhood of its author, 95 year old William Steig. The book is both personal and historical as Steig recounts the time in America "when everybody wore a hat." Steig, an artist whose drawings have appeared regularly in "The New Yorker" magazine since 1930, is both the books's illustrator and writer. Grandparents looking for a book that they can read to their grandchildren that will inspire good additional conversation should buy this book.
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Uncle Nacho's Hat/El Sombrero Del Tio Nacho
Uncle Nacho's Hat/El Sombrero Del Tio Nacho
Adapted by Harriet Rohmer. Illustrations by Mira Reisberg
Uncle Nacho's old hat is no longer serving him very well. His neice, Ambrosia, presents him with a new hat, but ridding himself of his old hat is not so easy.
Written in both English and Spanish (the story is adapted from a Nicaraguan folktale), the book is not only very enjoyable in its own right, but also a great way to learn a second language.
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Casey's New Hat
Casey's New Hat
By Tricia Gardella. Illustrated by Margot Apple
Casey has outgrown her old hat and searches everywhere for the right replacement. Anyone who has gone hat shopping in an effort to replace and old "friend" knows her dilemma.
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The Hat
The Hat
By Jan Brett
A misbegotten woolen stocking becomes a "hat" when it gets stuck on the prickly head of a hedgehog. Hedgehog feels silly, is full of excuses with regard to what he is wearing, but just cannot free himself from this "hat". The ending is a surprise.
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Miss Fannie's Hat
Miss Fannie's Hat
Written by Jan Karon. Illustrated by Toni Goffe
The author's grandmother's hats serve as a point of departure for memories and stories -- sweet and sentimental.
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Zoe's Hats
Zoe's Hats
By Sharon Lane Holm
An introductory reading book where hats are used as a vehicle to learn words, colors and patterns. Each page presents a front, full-face view of Zoe wearing different hats.
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Little Red Cowboy Hat
Little Red Cowboy Hat
By Susan Lowell. Illustrated by Randy Cecil
An American Southwest setting for the classic "Little Red Riding Hood" tale. Red's cowboy hat replaces Red's hood and the rest is literary history. Great illustrations of the Southwest and a right-on grandma from American pioneer stock, "That yellow-bellied, snake-blooded, skunk-eyed, rancid son of a parallelogram! . . . This time he picked the wrong grandma".
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Miss Hunnicutt's Hat
Miss Hunnicutt's Hat
By Jeff Brumbeau. Illustrated by Gail Marcken
Miss Hunnicutt insists on her right wear an eccentric (to say the least) hat even though the townspeople object. Ultimately, she gets the attention of one pretty important person.
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Milo's Hat Trick
Milo's Hat Trick
By Jon Agee
Milo the Magician needs to pull a rabbit out of his hat (literally and figurtively) or he is going to be out of a job. A much bigger animal comes to his rescue.
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Twelve Hats for Lena
Twelve Hats for Lena
By Karen Katz
Lena Katz makes a hat that represents each month of the year. The book includes a hat-making tutorial "How To Make Lots of Hats From One Simple Pattern". Ages 3-8.
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Abe Lincoln's Hat
Abe Lincoln's Hat
By Martha Brenner. Illustrated by Donald Cook
This is a "Step 3" reader in the "Step Into Reading" program. This is a good book that introduces young readers to American history, specifically to Abe Lincoln. We learn that Lincoln's iconic hat was more than simply an item of apparel -- it also served as a "file cabinet" for important papers and letters.
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HATS OFF TO JOHN STETSON
by Mary Blount Christian. Macmillan Publishing Company, 1992.
This is a biography of the famous American hatter John B. Stetson, 1830-1906, written for young readers. As a former teacher and a father of two, I estimate the reading level as late elementary school. The book is very much in the style of biographies written for children of this age. It's the old work hard, pull yourself up by your bootstraps, American success story. I recommend the book for all aspiring hat entrepreneurs under 13 and over 10. Reading this book may give you a leg up when applying for a high school summer job at The Village Hat Shop. Buy Stetson Hats
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