Read-4-Luck: Do YOU Have a Hat? (PPBF)

If you missed the most recent Story Elements post, which focuses on the top ten elements of picture book writing, you can still read Wednesday's post about Story Element #4: Dialogue. 

READ-4-LUCK acts as a book recommendation, book review, teaching tip, and writing lesson for children, parents, teachers, and writers. This fun weekly feature began back in October 2010 with four books. It has since evolved into one book each week. In November 2011, I joined up with Susanna Leonard Hill and her Perfect Picture Book Fridays (PPBF).  

 = Not bad. Might read twice.
 = Fun read first few times. Would get from library again.
 = Very enjoyable. Wouldn't mind owning a copy.
 = Awesome! Multiple readings are never tiresome. May just have to buy it.

This week's Read-4-Luck pick is Do You Have a Hat? by Eileen Spinelli and illustrated by Geraldo Valerio. 

This book describes a great variety of hats worn by celebrities throughout history - in rhyme!

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Year: 2004

Word Count: 426

Book Level: 2.2

Age: 4-8

Topic: hats, history, biography 

Theme: gotta get a hat!

Jacket Flap:

A fancy hat. A hat that's plain. 

A hat for keeping off the rain.

A glowing hat. A hat with fruit.

A hat for that new dress or suit.

All herein have hats, it's true --

Fantastic, magnificent hats! Do you?

RATINGS

CHILDREN: 

Kids that love dress up will love this book. We have read this book numerous times before we noticed a fun pattern in the illustrations. They like to see the different kinds of hats.

PARENTS: 

Eileen Spinelli is awesome! The rhyme is a bit sing-song, but it's fun to teach your kids about the historical figures. The end pages give a couple sentences about each person. And of course the illustrations are fun.

TEACHERS: 

Kindergarten teachers could use to supply their dress up centers and teach kids about the different hats. Could teach rhyme (has a great repeating line for teaching reading early in the year). Could use to talk about seasons and which hats would match which seasons best.

This book is perfect for 2nd or 3rd grades. Read the book aloud to the class. Assign individuals or pairs a section to memorize for a PTO play. Teach more in depth about each person: Abraham Lincoln, Walt Whitman, Sally Ride, Charlie Chaplin and many more.

WRITERS: 

Another rhyming wonderland! A bit sing-song, though. I love the whole concept for the entire book. Too clever. Wish I had thought of it. I don't know how many times I have checked this book out of the library. Maybe it's time to buy it?

What is your favorite kind of hat? I like the floppy hat with flowers. Then again, I did dress up as Charlie Chaplin during Homecoming week in high school.

Be sure to visit other "perfect picture books" at Susanna Leonard Hill's blog.

Keep on keepin' on...