The Magic Hat - Hardcover

Fox, Mem

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0152010254 ISBN 13: 9780152010256

Publisher: Harcourt Childrens Books, 2002

Synopsis

When a magic hat drops into their quiet town, excitement takes over as townsfolk, one by one, are transformed into giant animals, but when a wizard arrives, the good times may take an unexpected turn for the worse. Children's BOMC Main. 40,000 first printing.

About this title

About the Authors

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.

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.

Reviews

reschool-Grade 3--A whirling, magical hat sweeps into a bustling park, transforming each adult on whom it alights into a fun-loving animal. Rhymed verses add to the humor and allow listeners to predict what will follow as the page turns. A group of delighted children takes up the path of the hat's swirling confetti, until, at last, a large, but impish wizard appears. He restores the characters to their former selves and leaves a large, spotted egg that hatches, distracting the crowd as he turns to leave. But that's not the end. Donning the hat himself, the wizard becomes a high-spirited boy, framed by starlight, kicking up sparkles. Tusa's ink-and-watercolor images dance with life (even the flowers seem to be in motion); kinetic, double-page designs spill off the pages. Add this to your favorite headpiece storytime. Children will be bursting to participate.
Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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.

Ages 3-6. When a blue hat blows into town, no one knows that it is magic until it plops on the head of a grumpy man and turns him into a frog. From there the hat blows onto the heads of different people: a sleeping man turns into a dancing bear; a mother with children becomes a kangaroo with a baby in a pouch. The bouncy rhyme is fun if undistinguished, but the artwork, in its oversize format, overflows with good humor. Executed in watercolors, the paintings feature rambunctious children, delightful animals, and a fresh-faced wizard who finagles the hat here and there. Fox moves this feast across the two-page spreads with an ease that buoys the spirit. Good for story hours; even children in the back row will be able to see what's going on. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

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