Very Good Hats

Illustrated by Blanca Gómez
Look inside
$18.99 US
Penguin Young Readers | Rocky Pond Books
24 per carton
On sale Jan 10, 2023 | 978-0-593-52943-0
Age 2-5 years
Reading Level: Lexile AD630L | Fountas & Pinnell L
Sales rights: World
The first picture book by bestselling novelist Emma Straub, author of This Time Tomorrow, this is a joyous, inventive, adorably illustrated read-aloud that will inspire kids to see ordinary objects in a whole new way.

Some people think hats are fancy things you can buy at a dressy store, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. In this book, acorns and raspberries are snug hats for your fingers, and an empty pudding cup is a good hat for a stuffed bear. Pajama pants make dangly hats, books can be dramatic hats, and bubbles make very fine hats as well (if temporary). Readers will be delighted to discover that anything can be a hat if you believe it is. Hats are everywhere you look!
★ "Children will have a ball donning their thinking caps and coming up with original ideas for devising all sorts of hats and various creatures and objects to wear them—including themselves. The digital illustrations incorporate paper collage and are as colorful, lively, and inventive as the text." —Kirkus, starred review

★ ”Full of bright colors and strong shapes, and centering doll-like characters with an array of skin tones, digitally enhanced collage art from Gómez contributes bountifully to this book’s classic feel, offering an openhearted aesthetic playfulness that promises to inspire audiences’ love of categorization." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Whimsy and imagination fill the pages of this colorful title dedicated to covering not just your head . . . Illustrations of a diverse cast of round-faced adults and young people are reminiscent of the style of Christian Robinson and are wonderful for the intended audience. Children will love the bubble-covered bottom of a character taking a shower on the spread celebrating pajama pant hats and twirly towel hats." —School LIbrary Journal

About

The first picture book by bestselling novelist Emma Straub, author of This Time Tomorrow, this is a joyous, inventive, adorably illustrated read-aloud that will inspire kids to see ordinary objects in a whole new way.

Some people think hats are fancy things you can buy at a dressy store, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. In this book, acorns and raspberries are snug hats for your fingers, and an empty pudding cup is a good hat for a stuffed bear. Pajama pants make dangly hats, books can be dramatic hats, and bubbles make very fine hats as well (if temporary). Readers will be delighted to discover that anything can be a hat if you believe it is. Hats are everywhere you look!

Praise

★ "Children will have a ball donning their thinking caps and coming up with original ideas for devising all sorts of hats and various creatures and objects to wear them—including themselves. The digital illustrations incorporate paper collage and are as colorful, lively, and inventive as the text." —Kirkus, starred review

★ ”Full of bright colors and strong shapes, and centering doll-like characters with an array of skin tones, digitally enhanced collage art from Gómez contributes bountifully to this book’s classic feel, offering an openhearted aesthetic playfulness that promises to inspire audiences’ love of categorization." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Whimsy and imagination fill the pages of this colorful title dedicated to covering not just your head . . . Illustrations of a diverse cast of round-faced adults and young people are reminiscent of the style of Christian Robinson and are wonderful for the intended audience. Children will love the bubble-covered bottom of a character taking a shower on the spread celebrating pajama pant hats and twirly towel hats." —School LIbrary Journal