The Magic Hat - Hardcover

Fox, Mem

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0152010254 ISBN 13: 9780152010256

Publisher: Harcourt Childrens Books, 2002

Synopsis

One fine day, from out of town--and without any warning at all--a magic hat appears in the sky. It tumbles and bounces through the air and makes magic wherever it lands. Everyone is delighted as, one by one, the townspeople are transformed into giant playful animals. And then a wizard arrives. . . .
With irresistible rhyming language and bright, whimsical illustrations, this perfect read-aloud by internationally acclaimed author Mem Fox will weave its way into the hearts of young children everywhere.

About this title

About the Author:

MEM FOX is the author of many acclaimed picture books, including Possum Magic, Koala Lou, and Time for Bed. She lives in Adelaide, South Australia.

TRICIA TUSA has illustrated several picture books, including her own Maebelle's Suitcase; Camilla's New Hairdo, a Parents Magazine Best Book; and Bunnies in My Head, which features drawings by the young patients at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. She lives in Houston, Texas.

From Publishers Weekly:

The titular topper of this rollicking, rhyming read-aloud is indeed magic: when it blows into town one day, it plops down on the head of resident after resident, instantly transforming each person into an animal. Each time the chapeau lands, Fox (Time for Bed) reprises the refrain, "Oh, the magic hat, the magic hat! It moved like this, it moved like that! It spun through the air!" At this point the author inserts a varying line (e.g., "Like a bounding balloon"; "For a mile and a half"), and a flip of the page reveals what animal the new hat-wearer becomes (in the above instances, a baboon and a giraffe). Kids will eagerly join in the guessing game, which Tusa's (Camilla's New Hairdo) fittingly silly, bustling ink-and-watercolor illustrations whip up into high-octane action. Her clever details add to the clues; for instance, a fruit-stand seller juggles bananas as the hat transforms him into a baboon. A supporting cast of animated children witness the zany goings-on, reacting gleefully to each transformation. These characters' unbridled enjoyment will almost certainly evoke the same response from readers. Ages 3-7.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harcourt Childrens Books
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0152010254
• ISBN 13: 9780152010256
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Tusa Tricia