Friday, April 24, 2009

Do You Have a Hat? by Eileen Spinelli


















1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Spinelli, Eileen. 2004. DO YOU HAVE A HAT? Ill. Geraldo Valerio. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing. ISBN 0689862539

2. PLOT SUMMARY
A stroll through history is the highlight of this book that examines hats from all sorts of people, including Carmen Miranda and Johnny Appleseed. The question is asked throughout..."Do YOU have a hat?".

3. IMPRESSIONS
I had two real strong impressions when I read this book. First, kids always love to be involved in the story somehow. I can see them always asking the question at the end of each page: "Do YOU have a hat?" I can also see that, with some preparation, several hats can be lined up with children donning them at the appropriate time.

I would be curious to see how many of these historical figures kids would know. NEVER FEAR!!! Spinelli has taken care of that on the front and back flaps with explanations of each person she has "hatted".

Interesting illustrations (kids can certainly pick out the similarities in each of the depictions), bright colors, and repetition make this a class favorite.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS

* Starred review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "Spinelli provides some great entertainment in this rhyming story that showcases the famous headgear of individuals such as Igor Stravinsky, Carmen Miranda, Abraham Lincoln, Nat Love, and Johnny Appleseed. Overall, this original and amusing book is a great marriage of text and artwork. It will make a terrific storytime addition, either by itself or combined with other clothing-related selections."
http://reviews.schoollibraryjournal.com/bd.aspx?isbn=0689862539&pub=sl


* Starred review in CHILDREN'S LITERATURE: "The verse is all light-hearted, while added biographical facts are detailed on the end-papers. Acrylic paints create comic caricatures of these celebrities, surrounding them with assortments of small creatures and objects that add to the fun."
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Do-You-Have-a-Hat/Eileen-Spinelli/e/9780689862533

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