Easter bonnetNext year, I need an Easter bonnet, something frilly and flowery. I could even make one, like the little girl’s above. The directions for how to make it are at Piggy Gigggles.

Miss Hunnicutt has an wonderful hat, even thought it’s not one I would wear into a church, or any building for that matter. Miss Hunnicutt’s Hat by Jeff Brunbeau is not really an Easter book, but it always feels like a Spring story to me, full of hats and pastels, flowers and frills. It was one of my favorites when Amber was younger, and it’s still on the bookshelf. The prim little town of Littleton is in a tizzy preparing for a visit from the Queen. So when Miss Hunnicutt steps out in her new hat, the stuffy townsfolk are scandalized. The chicken has to go! But plucky Miss Hunnicut stands up for her right to wear what she likes. And when the Queen’s arrival prompts a surprising turn of events, the townspeople learn to celebrate the silly eccentricities that make life interesting. It’s a good little story, celebrating everyone’s uniqueness. And it’s just funny.

4½ out of 5 stars

Amazon | IndieBound

48 pages
Published March 1, 2003 by Scholastic

I also read another hat story this weekend. It was one of my niece’s, who is about 16 months old and too adorable. My brother got it out for her at a restaurant, and we all know I couldn’t pass up reading it quickly. Do You Have a Hat? by Eileen Spinelli is such a cute book. It’s all about different hats (and caps and crowns) that famous people have worn throughout the years, like Carmen Miranda, Igor Stravinsky, and Abraham Lincoln. The rhymes and colorful illustrations would have made me enjoy reading it to a little one, and I love that introduces so many historical figures from such a wide range of careers. Granted, kids aren’t going to care about that at first, but it’s never too early to introduce them. And then there’s the recurring question, “Do you have a hat?”

4½ out of 5 stars

Amazon | IndieBound

40 pages
Published September 1, 2004 by Simon & Schuster

Both of these hat books could be perfect additions to any child’s library. Do You Have a Hat? is perfect for preschoolers, but Miss Hunnicutt has more words and doesn’t rhyme, so it really depends on the child, preschool or early elementary. I think Amber was like 3 or 4 when we started reading it with her.

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