Hats Off for the Fourth of July is a voyeuristic view of a sleepy seaside town parade set in Chatham, Massachusetts. The parade includes the typical inventory of baton twirlers, cowboys on horseback, jugglers, marching bands, and floats. We watch as the spectacle marches by wondering what will come next. The people enjoy the procession, and take comfort in purchasing balloons, popcorn, and ice cream. We cheer with the crowd and tap into the joyfulness of the event.

“In Chatham town on the Fourth of July,
A grand parade will go marching by.
Music and drum… music and drum.
We’re all waiting to see it come.”

There’s a steady beat to the text, which plays into the movement of the parade, and arrests the listener almost enticing them to turn the page. The phrase “music and drum” is repeated throughout, and is so catchy I find myself humming it afterwards. Harriet Ziefert is a very accomplished children’s book author; however, she isn’t a favorite of mine. I’ve discovered she borrows poetic rhythms from others such as in This is Thanksgiving, and in On Halloween Night, which I find objectionable. All the same, Ziefert knows repetition, and cadence engage young ones, and in this work the tempo is her own. The poems are strained in places, especially toward the end, but overall the writing is pleasing to the ear.

Hats Off for the Fourth of July is recommended for children 4 to 7 years, but I think a 3-year old would enjoy it as well. The book is only 32-pages long, and it takes less then 3-minutes to read aloud. The illustrations are delightful, and brightly colored. They begin on the inside cover where we are introduced to the small town of Chatham. The artist, Gustaf Miller has a homespun appeal. The images are realistic; yet there’s a casualness, and lose flair to his paintings. I believe the work is watercolor, although he may have added some gouache, or acrylics for the opaque areas. The characters are charming and unpretentious. For example, on one page a little girls drops her ice cream cone, while her mom seems obvious to the misfortune. On another page, a baton twirler struggles to retrieve her baton from a dog. My favorite is where another dog finds a fire hydrant and debates about marking his territory. These fine points add humor and draw interest from young and old alike.

We don’t learn anything about Independence Day in Hats Off for the Fourth of July, which is fine, but I wonder if the illustrator has ever been to an Independence Day parade. In fact, apart from the Uncle Sam on stilts, and a marching George Washington, we wouldn’t know the procession celebrates our country’s birthday. There are a few American flags painted into the scenes, but every Fourth of July parade I’ve attended is adorned with American flags, there are red, white and blue banners strewn everywhere, and even the spectators are decked out in our nations colors.

As there’s little in the way of reading material for young ones on our country’s birthday, Hats Off for the Fourth of July passes our test. My little one repeatedly pours over the illustrations and in the past has asked numerous questions about the crowd, the setting, and parade members. Although I think the writing could be tweaked in areas, the illustrations are worth a long look.

ISBN: 0-670-89118-5
Penguin Putnam for Books for Young Readers, 2000



Additional Books on Independence Day:
The Great Cake Bake
Jake Johnson: The Story of a Mule
Happy 4th of July, Jenny Sweeney!



Recommended: Yes