My Red Hat

by Rachel Stubbs

In a touching reflection on love between generations, a grandfather passes down a hat that has seen a world of moments—and carries a big piece of his heart.

A hat can do many things. It can keep you warm and dry. It can help you stand out in a crowd, or it can help you blend in. It can hold your dreams or your secrets, and it can hide your fears. In a debut picture book, Rachel Stubbs pairs winsomely expressive artwork with a gentle meditation on family connection and memory, as a grandfather offers his grandchild the anticipation of a life lived with wonder and openness…and a very special hat.

Genres: Picture Books, Family, Childrens, Adventure, Fiction, Juvenile, Love

32 pages, Hardcover

Published February 2, 2021

About the author

Rachel Stubbs received an MA in illustration from the UK’s Cambridge School of Art in 2017 and, in that same year, was awarded the Sebastian Walker Award for Illustration. Rachel Stubbs makes her home in London.

Reviews

[Mehsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een prachtig boek over een klein meisje dat van haar grootvader een grote mooie rode hoed krijgt. We zien waarvoor de hoed allemaal voor wordt gebruikt. Van bescherming tot hondenwaterbakje tot makkelijk zichtbaar zijn tot zoveel meer. Je kunt hem uitlenen, vies maken. Ik moet wel eerlijk zeggen dat ik steeds verwachtte dat opa dood was of dood ging. Ik heb gewoon teveel boeken gelezen zoals deze waarin blijkt dat de opa niet meer leeft of dat dit zijn laatste ding was. Gelukkig is het allemaal goed gekomen. Het was erg zoet en ik vond de band tussen opa en kleindochter erg mooi. Zou ik ook zeker willen hebben met mijn opa. :(

[Mathew · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute gem of a debut from Rachel Stubbs. Presented in a landscape format, we follow a grandfather and grandaughter through days and perhaps years of adventure through the imagination and in and about their local settings. Apart from an absolute love for one another, they are bound by grandfather's red hat and the story of his passing on of this treasure to his granddaughter.

The hat, he assures her, will keep her dry and cool and can be used for leisure and pleasure. The young girl takes it everywhere with her, through rainy days and bright ones and it shows her that the world is full of possibilities. The hat symbolises all that her grandfather is, was and will be and it is something that she can keep as a reminder that he will always be there.

What I particularly loved about this intergenerational story is that it blatantly riffs on Burningham's Granpa it has an ending that is a lot more hopeful and celebratory and gives the girl something to hold on to at the end too. This is taking nothing away from Burningham's picturebook which will always remain a masterclass but that Stubbs is going for something gentler here. She is, perhaps, putting Granpa back in the frame so that he can continue to share the world with his granddaughter.

Beautiful ink and water-colour washes seem to have been finished digitally and I thought the typography a nice touch. A soft, reduced colour palette helps us focus on the friendship here and the world around both almost blurs off into the background. Stubbs is so talented and I cannot wait to see what she creates next.

[Vera Godley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a sweet generational book that shows a loving relationship between a grandchild and grandfather. The red hat symbolizes passing along the possibilities that life can bring and the strengths of pursuit and accomplishment. The red hat is a cover and protection from fear and other of life's onslaughts.
I love the illustrations and bright spots of red in washes of darkness. I like that the pictures show the two engaged in a variety of activities inside and outside. Not simply seated in an overstuffed armchair.

It shows generational love. It depicts the strength of a "cover" when the mantle is passed generation to generation along with a knowledge of inner strengths to confront life head on.

It begs the questions, "Do you have a red hat?"

I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given.

[Mary Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my…what a lovely book! A simple story of a grandfather who gifts his red hat to his granddaughter becomes the gentle tale of wonder, quiet adventure and all the possibilities that await us in life, if we only let ourselves be open to them. The eloquent illustrations in a limited palette remind me a bit of the now classic illustrations of Robert McCloskey (Make Way for Ducklings; Blueberries for Sal) in tone, but with a kind of free, contemporary expressive quality. And the story is just so beautiful and timeless with a genuine enduring quality. Touching, gentle, rich, full of expectation and bubbling over with love. A pure delight!

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rachel Stubbs creates her own loving story of all the things a grandfather can give his grandchild, including a red hat. Using a limited color palette, illustrations show the delight of a loving relationship and all those things that happen or are coming, and with that red hat. Grandpa seems to be telling the story, sharing that the hat can "keep you warm and dry" while showing the two out in the rain and avoiding puddles. In a humorous double-page spread in another storm, "help you stand out in a crowd" as everything is grey and bleak, that red hat is the only brightness! It "covers fears" shows the hat as a tent, with the two shadows sharing what must be a serious talk. Grandpa wishes the best of life in so many things to his grandchild, including one red hat! It's a really loving story!
Thanks to Candlewick Press for this copy!

[Bloom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ai, però és que gens eh... Mira que em feia bona pinta, però és que ni les il•lustracions... no no no I això de: jo avi et passo el meu barret (que recorda al del Petit príncep) a tu neta que és algo molt especial i molt xulo nonononono PERÒ SI LI VA BALDER SENYOR!!!!!!!!

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple story. Elegant illustrations. Heart-warming message.

[Angela De Groot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderfully touching story of shared love, joy, and possibility.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A grandfather gives his granddaughter his red hat and explains to her all the things the hat can help her with. The hat can keep her warm or cool, it can do silly things or serious things, or necessary things, it can hold dreams, hide secrets and cover fears; this hat can do many things. As I read this book though it seemed to me that the hat is a symbol. For me it symbolized the relationship between the grandfather and granddaughter. It's their relationship that provides the support and love needed to help her dream, and face her fears, and in the end come home safely. The way the illustrations are drawn support the idea that the hat is representative of love, especially when the hat enlarges to release the dream birds, and cover the fears and secrets of the girl. The illustrations show the grandfather doing things with the girl until finally she steps out on her own, but the hat is there with her. A beautiful homage to a close relationship between a grandfather and granddaughter and how love can help us fly.

[Ellon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple and sweet story about a little girl and her grandfather (and a hat of course!) I will have to purchase this for my school library as every December the kindergarteners make hats and the teachers check out every book with the word "hat" in the title from the library!

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A grandfather gives his red hat to his granddaughter. He explains the amazing things that the hat is capable of. It can make you stand out in a crowd or blend right in. It can keep you warm and dry or keep you cool in the sun. It can be used for serious and silly reasons. Wearing the hat, you can go anywhere you like: low, high or on real adventures, until you are ready to come back home again. It is your hat.

Stubbs takes a very simple and familiar event, the gifting of a hat into a level of wonder and dreams in this picture book. Using very simple language, she has created a book that reads aloud brilliantly. The pace manages to be both fast and rather dreamy, revealing new opportunities that the hat provides at each turn of the page. It is the relationship between grandparent and grandchild here that is beautifully portrayed while never being overtly discussed in the text.

The illustrations are done in a limited color palette with teal, red and pink the primary colors. On each page, the red pops out, focusing on the hat itself. The illustrations have enough details to linger over, particularly the crowd scenes that fill double-page spreads.

A warm look at the role of grandparents to inspire discovery and self-esteem. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

[Sandy Brehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Early scenes emphasize wry humor and surprising innovations (serving as a water bowl for a thirsty dog?). Gradually hyperbolic exaggeration in illustration and figurative language that plays out literally move the reader to understand that wearing the red hat provides the child with strength and curiosity and courage. The child, the hat, and faith in Grandpa lead the reader to a full circle homecoming.

When I began reading this I pictured a different ending, imagining that the return home would find Grandpa no longer there. Instead, their time together resumes in a perfectly satisfying way, followed by a gorgeous concluding double page spread at night, under the moon, with this simple line:

"This hat is for you."

That line, that image, that final scene combine to make this a delightful bedtime book. But it is so much more than that. It's a grandpa love story, a growing up brave and independent story, a you-are-my-world story, and a reminder that life is big and complex at the same time it is delicate and delightful and surprising. With a grandpa like this, one who gives you his red hat and the truths that it can hold, anything is possible.

[Alex Baugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this intergenerational story, a loving grandfather passes down his red hat to his granddaughter and tells her about all the different possibilities the hat holds for her and which are clearly based on his own life experiences. The hat, he says, can simply be used to keep her warm or dry, protect her from the sun or the rain, help her stand out in a crowd, or hide in one. The hat can hold her dreams, secrets, and fears and it is full of possibility - places to go, things to see, people to meet until home calls her back. Using simple landscape line illustrations, done in a limited palette of colors, Stubbs captures the idea of a child's connection to her family and home while encouraging her to go out and to confidently explore her internal and external world courageously, knowing that there is always place where she is loved and has roots. This is a warm, tender, thought-provoking story for your young readers. Sometimes grandparents can encourage kids to follow their dreams in ways that parents can't because of the different relationship a child has with the two generations.

[Eve Costarelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

This bright beautiful red hat is a veritable melting pot of creativity that dances between practical possibilities and wild, fantastical ones seen through the eyes of a young child and their grandparent. The hat is part history, as it has stories it can tell from days gone by as well as of the current moment, now that it will be the child’s, ready to be brimming with all the new stories that will fill it. I love the sweet, intergenerational friendship that allows the grandparent the opportunity to share a stylish, representation of who he is as a way to create connection between the past and the present, basically telling the grandchild to dream as big as possible, because all the while, they will be protected by the love of their grandparent. With very simple lines, the illustrations convey a huge amount of expression and depth. Very nice!
Thank you to Candlewick Press for this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of a big red hat that is much more than the story of a hat. The hat passed from grandfather to grandchild provides shade and style but it also holds dreams, hides secrets and can cover up fears. The story of what passes between grandparent and grandchild is subtly illustrated in graphite & ink artwork in hues of reds and greys. The main characters are white but in illustrations on the streets and at a park a diverse world is shown with people of multiple shades, cultures and abilities as shown by the use of scooters (for young & old), canes, strollers and clothing such as a hijab.

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple and beautiful celebration of the bond between a grandparent and a child. The story opens with a grandfather giving his red hat to his granddaughter, then pointing out all of the wondrous things the hat can do. It will keep her warm and dry, help her stand out in a crowd, hide her secrets, and so much more. The ink and graphite illustrations are dominated by shades of red, blue and brown, and match the tone of the text perfectly. This would be delightful as a class read aloud, but also enjoyed in the lap of a caregiver.

[Carolienvanderwaarde · Rating 3 out of 5]

Misschien moet je Brits zijn om zoveel kwaliteiten aan een hoed toe te kunnen schrijven. In ieder geval zijn de opa en zijn kleindochter zichtbaar heel erg blij met de rode hoed en dat maakt je vrolijk bij het lezen van dit grappige prentenboek.
Leuk om met kleuters nog veel meer mogelijkheden te verzinnen wat een hoed allemaal kan.
Vanaf 4 jaar

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was really really really really worried from the moment I started this book that the grandfather was going to die and the hat was going to be what the granddaughter remembered him by, which would have been a meaningful book but also would have been profusely sad. That is not what happened. Very nice book with lovely artwork.

[Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the magic contained in a red hat is a deep and glorious magic indeed. What I loved most about this book was the grandfather who was able to contort his aged body into the shapes needed to play with an exuberant grandchild. Not every older adult gets to enjoy that kind of play. Very nice.

[Lauryn Payne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book and how the theme of a hat runs through the book. The concept of something so simple providing a safe and hidden place mirrors the idea of the care the ideological grandfather should provide to his grandchild.

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, a story with fewer than 100 words about the hat given to a young girl by her grandfather. It takes her anywhere she wants to go and protects her till she comes back to her grandfather. Very comforting story.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grandparent love is a special love and the adventures shared with grandfather and granddaughter here are lovely. I expected there would be a passing of this marvelous hat. Warm and wonderful exploration of the power of the time to adventure with a beloved relative.

[Katja Smit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mooie prenten, maar een niet zo heel indrukwekkend verhaal.
Opa geeft zijn rode hoed aan zijn kleinkind. Met zo'n hoed kun je van alles doen. Hij houdt je warm en droog, hij bewaart geheimen en dromen en nog veel meer.

AK-boek, 2020, 4+, grootvaders, hoeden

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Paul Graham Terpstra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice touching tale told from a grandparent to their grandchild.
Cool illustration style and dreamy colours

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the illustrations, but the story was a little too simple for me. I did like how it encourages imagination, but it wasn't my favorite book.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A gentle, warm intergenerational story.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spare, imaginative text and engrossing illustrations.

[Shaye Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed as a virtual read aloud via Cumberland City Council Library. The streaming wasn't extremely clear, so I look forward to reading this one in print.

[Sahara Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

The illustrations were really great. Other than that it was okay