This Is the Hat: A Story in Rhyme

Van Laan, Nancy

ISBN 10: 0316897272 ISBN 13: 9780316897273

Publisher: Joy st Books, 1992

Synopsis

The life of a hat--from its perch on its owner's head to its becoming a home for a spider and a bed for a mouse--is told in cumulative rhyme and cut-paper collage illustrations.

About this title

From School Library Journal:

PreSchool-K-- A satisfying and simple story. A man with a wooden cane is walking in the rain when his hat is carried away by the wind. It is inhabited in turn by a spider, a mouse, and a crow. Eventually, the hat is found by its original owner who is delighted to have it back--even though it's a little worse for the wear. Onomatopoeic phrases beg to be read aloud and will be enjoyed by young audiences, one-on-one or in story hours. The large illustrations also lend themselves to group sharing. Bold, simplified : shapes with large areas of color surrounded by a fuzzy, white outline appear to be done in a torn paper collage. Some of the text is also done in this technique, with letters dancing on the page while integrating the words and pictures into a harmonious visual whole. --Alexandra Marris, Rochester Public Library, NY
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly:

This jaunty, singsong title, written with an irresistible momentum that calls to mind Margaret Mahy's 17 Kings and 42 Elephants , begs to be read and chanted aloud. Based on a familiar cumulative theme, the story concerns an old man who loses his hat to the wind. It becomes home to a spider, and then a mouse; it sits on a scarecrow--and so on, until it returns to its grateful original owner. Children encountering Van Laan's rhymed cadences, which energetically celebrate sound, will delight in repeating phrases like "tap-a-tap-tap"; "jig-a-jig-jig"; and "screek-a-tweek-tweek." (These and other felicitous expressions leap out, one per spread, in bouncy colored text.) In Meade's illustrative debut, torn paper collages in happy blues, greens and magentas perfectly partner the text. A shimmering chapeau. Ages 1-4.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Joy st Books
• Publication date: 1992
• ISBN 10: 0316897272
• ISBN 13: 9780316897273
• Binding: Library Binding
• Illustrator: Meade Holly