WHILE YOU WERE CHASING A HAT

Softly muted pastels color this story of a runaway hat and all the things that the wind can do. As the twisting wind snatches a little girl’s hat away, it carries it past many amazing sights: soaring kites, speeding sailboats, bending trees, and tumbling crows. The poetic story is laid out in simple rhyme, with short phrases on each page: “The wind / that whirled / your hat / away / furled a flag / raced a boat / tugged a kite / tweaked its tail . . .” Following the child as she pursues the hat, children will be encouraged to find it on each page as she gets closer and closer. The linking of events as she runs through the story will also challenge even the youngest children to understand the connection of things. The simplicity of the words, coupled with the uncomplicated yet beautiful illustrations, offers a soothing look at the natural world. (Harper Growing Trees series) (Picture book. 2-5)