Red Hat

by Lita Judge, Lita Judge (Illustrator)

Overview

A series of exuberant read-aloud sound effects perfectly capture the whimsy and joy of a springtime frolic in this companion to Red Sled.

In this almost wordless springtime picture book, an adorable crew of baby animals borrows a familiar-looking red hat (last seen on the head of Red Sled’s unsuspecting protagonist) and embarks on a joy-filled escapade—until all that is left is a long piece of red string! Their playful romp is gorgeously depicted in bold watercolor and complemented by humorous expressions and pitch-perfect sound effects. With a timeless tone and classic characters, Red Hat promises to be an instant favorite.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442442320
Publisher:	Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	03/05/2013
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	408,765
Product dimensions:	9.90(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	2 - 5 Years

About the Author

Lita Judge is the award-winning author and illustrator of many children’s books, including Flight School, Penguin Flies Home, Red Sled, Red Hat, Good Morning to Me!, Born in the Wild, Even the Smallest Will Grow, When You Need Wings, and her illustrated young adult novel, Mary’s Monster. She lives with her husband, two cats, and a parrot in New Hampshire. You can visit her online at LitaJudge.com.

Lita Judge is the award-winning author and illustrator of many children’s books, including Flight School, Penguin Flies Home, Red Sled, Red Hat, Good Morning to Me!, Born in the Wild, Even the Smallest Will Grow, When You Need Wings, and her illustrated young adult novel, Mary’s Monster. She lives with her husband, two cats, and a parrot in New Hampshire. You can visit her online at LitaJudge.com.

Editorial Reviews

In this warm-weather companion to 2011’s Red Sled, a boy’s pointy hat is as irresistible to the local wildlife as his sled was in the previous book. As in that story, the only text is the occasional sound effect—the “Fffwwup” of a hat being grabbed off the clothesline, or the “shwoop” of a rabbit and mouse holding onto the rapidly unraveling hat for dear life as a bear runs off with it. While this book doesn’t have the crisp, wintertime magic of its predecessor, the laughs are on target, as is the “no harm done” resolution. Ages 2–5. Agent: Linda Pratt, Wernick & Pratt. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"The red hat worn by the child in Red Sled (2011) takes a more prominent role in the sequel. Like its predecessor, this picture book is almost wordless but seldom silent…. While the pencil-and-watercolor illustrations show a fine color sense, particularly in the idyllic settings, young children will be drawn to the animals’ headlong action, expressive body language, and amusing facial expressions. An engaging picture-book adventure."

Booklist

"The red hat worn by the child in Red Sled (2011) takes a more prominent role in the sequel. Like its predecessor, this picture book is almost wordless but seldom silent…. While the pencil-and-watercolor illustrations show a fine color sense, particularly in the idyllic settings, young children will be drawn to the animals’ headlong action, expressive body language, and amusing facial expressions. An engaging picture-book adventure."

Booklist

* “One red hat plus a troop of enthusiastic animals equals trouble! Young fans will love reading and rereading this nearly wordless continuation of the adventure of the hat from Judge’s marvelous winter tale, Red Sled…. The watercolor-and-pencil illustrations are deceptively simple and strike the perfect chord of energy and emotion that is the definition of a curious and accidentally naughty preschooler. Crossing fingers for more seasonal “red” tales.”

“In this warm-weather companion to 2011’s Red Sled, a boy’s pointy hat is as irresistible to the local wildlife as his sled was in the previous book. As in that story, the only text is the occasional sound effect—the “Fffwwup” of a hat being grabbed off the clothesline, or the “shwoop” of a rabbit and mouse holding onto the rapidly unraveling hat for dear life as a bear runs off with it…the laughs are on target, as is the “no harm done” resolution."

"The red hat worn by the child in Red Sled (2011) takes a more prominent role in the sequel. Like its predecessor, this picture book is almost wordless but seldom silent…. While the pencil-and-watercolor illustrations show a fine color sense, particularly in the idyllic settings, young children will be drawn to the animals’ headlong action, expressive body language, and amusing facial expressions. An engaging picture-book adventure."

“In this almost wordless companion to Red Sled (S & S, 2011), forest animals notice a knit cap hung on a clothesline to dry as a child goes inside his home…. The attractive pencil and watercolor artwork is framed, making good use of a plain background of color, such as lush greens or white, which allows the details to stand out. The author uses various visual perspectives to show the animals’ playful antics…. Enjoyable enough for repeated readings.

From the Publisher

One red hat plus a troop of enthusiastic animals equals trouble! Young fans will love reading and rereading this nearly wordless continuation of the adventure of the hat from Judge's marvelous winter tale, Red Sled (2011). It's spring-cleaning time now, so the child washes the red hat and hangs it out to dry. Yellow flowers are blooming, little bunnies are hopping, butterflies are flittering, and the sun is shining. When the critters spy the hat pinned to the line, the cub speaks for everyone: "Hrmmm?" At first, an energetic game of keep-away breaks out, with the accompanying sounds and exclamations of pursuit and merriment. Readers will feel the thrill of the game until the illustrations show that things might have gotten out of control. The expressive words--Whoa, shwooop, eeeeeeeeeeeeep--become Wut-whoa and Uhmm-mrr, signaling the animals' realization that the hat is now just one long red strand of yarn with a white pompom on the end. Readers will laugh out loud at the caption when the guilty animals shuffle away from the clothesline, whistling innocently: "Doot-do-doo." Luckily, the little child is a clever one, able to make everything better than before. The watercolor-and-pencil illustrations are deceptively simple and strike the perfect chord of energy and emotion that is the definition of a curious and accidentally naughty preschooler. Crossing fingers for more seasonal "red" tales. (Picture book. 2-7)

Kirkus Reviews