Hats
The theme of hats is one of my storytime favorites; it can be done any time of the year and is always a big hit. There are several hat-themed picture books, and you can also bring in hats for people to try on. Of course, making hats is a great craft project; check out the beautiful hats made of paper, seen here: blogs.princeton.edu/popgoesthepage/2014/05/06/hip-hat/ . You could also try simple newspaper hats, or paper cone-shaped party hats.
Adams, Pam. MRS. HONEY’S HAT. A different animal removes one thing from Mrs. Honey’s hat each day in this classic tale that invites audience participation.
Berenstain, Stan and Jan. OLD HAT, NEW HAT. A very simple story of opposites.
Blos, Joan. MARTIN’S HATS. Martin changes hats frequently as he encounters each new adventure.
Holm, Sharon Lane. ZOE’S HATS. A simple story that introduces the concepts of colors and patterns.
Hoppe, Paul. HAT. Henry finds a hat on a park bench, and enjoys wearing it until he realizes it may belong to someone else.
Judge, Lita. RED HAT. In this nearly wordless story, a bear steals a red knit hat off the clothesline.
Katz, Karen. TWELVE HATS FOR LENA. Lena makes a new hat for each month of the year; this should inspire lots of great hat craft projects!
Klassen, Jon. I WANT MY HAT BACK. A bear asks various animals if they have seen his missing hat.
Morris, Ann. HATS, HATS, HATS. Another of Morris’s amazing simple nonfiction books, this focuses on hats around the world.
Prahin, Andrew. BRIMSBY’S HATS. Hatmaker Brimsby is lonely, so he makes seven small hats and leaves them at various birds’ nests.
Slobodkina, Esphyr. CAPS FOR SALE. The classic story; this is available as a Big Book, or as story apron figures.
Smith, William. HO FOR A HAT. A simple lesson on hats through history, told by a boy and his dog.
Spinelli, Eileen. DO YOU HAVE A HAT? A rhyming text describes hats worn by famous people throughout history.
VanLaan, Nancy. THIS IS THE HAT. This rhyming, cumulative story of a hat used as a home for various animals will invite participation from the storytime audience.
Ward, Jennifer. THE SUNHAT. In this cumulative story, several animals try to squeeze into Rosa’s hat.
Won, Brian. HOORAY FOR HAT! The audience will shout out the repeated title phrase in this delightful look at how a hat can cheer up the grumpiest person (or animal)!
Penny Peck, August, 2014