marybatson's Full Review: Ken Brown - The Scarecrow's Hat
In searching for autumn related stories to share with my 6-year old, I stumbled upon this clever story, The Scarecrow’s Hat. Although this book was published years ago, it is new to our library, and to us as well.
Who said chickens were stupid? The main character in The Scarecrow’s Hat is a chicken, and she’s pretty ingenious. In talking to Scarecrow, Chicken discovers that her friend is willing to swap his straw hat for a walking stick, because his arms are tired of being stretched out wide. Chicken doesn’t have a walking stick, but she knows someone who might.
“That’s a nice walking stick,” said Chicken to Badger.
“Yes, it is,” replied Badger. “But I’d rather have a piece of ribbon.
It gets hot and stuffy underground, so I prop my door open with
my stick. But I’m always tripping over it. If I had a ribbon, I could
tie the door open. I’d swap my walking stick for a ribbon any day.”
Chicken doesn’t have a ribbon, but her friend Crow does. So continues the story of barter and trade between friends, but the question is why does Chicken want Scarecrow’s hat? I won’t give away the ending, but I will say that children will enjoy this delightful tale of friendship, and resourcefulness.
I don’t know what it is about the Brits, but this is the fourth book I’ve come across this month where the author is also the illustrator, and all four books are great! Let’s all move to England to absorb their creative energy! The Scarecrow’s Hat is not an award winner, but it is a delightful tome most will appreciate. Ken Brown’s watercolor illustrations are illuminating! There’s a glow to his work, which tells me he’s very acquainted with the medium. The wheat gracefully blows in the fields, while the clouds billow in the azure sky above. The full-color spreads are bright, and vibrant while the animal expressions are warm and friendly. For instance, when Chicken makes her final trade we see a contented Scarecrow where he was once sullen, and Crow appears to be smiling with his swap. It’s rather difficult to paint a “happy” crow beak.
Brown doesn’t use rhyme, or alliteration in his writing, but his words are well chosen, and there’s repetition in the refrain. The vocabulary is straightforward, and age appropriate as well. A 3-year old could easily follow along as it only takes about 3-minutes to read aloud. The publisher doesn’t offer an age recommendation, but I say the prime target group is children 3 to 6-years.
While my son is six, and typically welcomes a longer story, William really likes The Scarecrow’s Hat. After the first read, he had one of those “AWE ha” moments, snickered, and immediately asked for a reread. This story doesn’t mention autumn, or fall, and since there are poppies blooming in the field, it’s better categorized as a summer book. Nevertheless, this work mingles well with the current autumnal reads, and I couldn’t wait until May to share.
Chicken really admires Scarecrow s hat. Scarecrow would gladly trade his hat for a walking stick to rest his tired arms. Chicken doesn t have a walkin...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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