What a Hat!

by Holly Keller

Henry and Wizzie's cousin Newton is coming to visit, and they can't wait. But when Newton arrives, he won't take off his hat. He wears it at dinnertime;
he wears it in the bathtub;
he wears it to bed.
Henry thinks Newton is being weird.

Wizzie thinks Newton needs a friend.

Acclaimed picture book creator Holly Keller turns an anxious situation into an unexpected chance for Newton to shine.
What surprises!
What generosity!
What a Hat!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

24 pages, Library Binding

First published September 1, 2003

Reviews

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprisingly pleasant tale about friendship and self-sacrifice. And a hat. Still not really sure why the child didn't want to take off the hat, but that turned out to not be the point, anyway. Simple illustrations that I didn't really care for, but the story is worth it.

[Emma Vargo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kindergarten fiction
An encouraging story about a quirky child and their security blanket. It could help understand sharing things with others and being compassionate when we are upset.

[Kevin Doyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book took us by surprise, which is always a fun thing to have happen. At our most recent library trip, our 4y/o grabbed it at the last moment and added it to our check-out pile. After reading it aloud together once, he was hooked. "What a Hat" has since turned up on top of the reading pile every single day!

The illustrations are simple and fairly sparse with plenty of surrounding white space. The art reminds me a bit of the old "Sweet Pickles" books so maybe my brain has some sub-conscience nostalgia for them, who knows. The characters are sweet and expressive and the colors are soothing so the book has an overall nice, calm feel to it.

In the story, we find a nice lesson in kindness that is obvious enough for a kid to understand - but it doesn't knock you over the head with preachiness. I find it quite fun to read aloud because of the clean, tight writing and I get to do a few different voices for the kids. Also, after hearing it a few times, our 4 y/o knew when the character Newton was going to say his catchphrase "No Hat!" - so I'd get some read-aloud help as he'd chime in on those parts. Each time we read it, we talk a bit about being kind and so forth so it's always a great experience.

"What a Hat"....what a book!

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Newton wears his hat ALL the time...inside and outside. Cousin Henry makes fun of him...until the (magical) little hat comes in handy. What a Hat is book about individualism, generosity, and family.

Used for "Mittens and Hats" Story Time: February, 2012.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good. I thought the shift from one sibling to another was rather abrupt.

[Kelly Chester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute book