Hats!
PreSchool-Grade 2–The illustrations carry the story in this nearly wordless tale. A boy picks out a new blue-and-red checkered hat and proudly wears it home. In the park, he encounters a bully wearing a baseball cap who declares, "Dumb hat!" Luckily, the protagonist meets two other youngsters–kindred spirits who also wear colorful headgear–and together, they use kindness to defeat the bully's negative energy and turn him into a friend. The brightly colored, folk-art paintings keep the action moving. Luthardt gives the hats and the cast of diverse characters who wear them distinct personalities. The soft edges of the illustrations create a warm mood even when the bully does not. The pictures clearly show the children's emotions, including the boy's joy when he finds his special hat and the doubt and hurt feelings caused by the unpleasant encounter. Dialogue balloons are used for the few words that are spoken. The happy ending is a tad simplistic, but the book's overall message that compassion can triumph over meanness is a worthy one.–Catherine Callegari, San Antonio Public Library, TXCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.