There are dozens of childrens books where a hat (or hats) plays a central role in the story. Heres a partial list -- all of which are in The Village Hat Shops books on hats collection: [Note: For a short synopsis of each book below as well as the name of the equally important (at least) illustrator, click this articles title above.]

JENNIES HAT by Ezra Jack Keats

WHEN EVERYBODY WORE A HAT by William Steig

THE HAT by Tomi Ungerer

THE CASE OF THE MISSING HAT Starring Jim Hensons Muppets by Gregory Williams

BLUE HAT, GREEN HAT by Sandra Boynton

THE 500 HATS OF BARTHOLOMEW CUBBINS by Dr. Seuss

MADELINE AND THE BAD HAT by Ludwig Bemelmans

THE CHRISTMAS HAT by A.J. Wood

HATS OFF TO JOHN STETSON by Mary Blount Christian

ABE LINCOLNS HAT by Martha Brenner

KATHYS HATS by Trudy Krisher

TWELVE HATS FOR LENA by Karen Katz

THE QUANGLE WANGLES HAT by Edward Lear

LITTLE RED COWBOY HAT by Susan Lowell

THE SCARECROWS HAT by Ken Brown

MILOS HAT TRICK by Jon Agee

MISS HUNNICUTTS HAT by Jeff Brumbeau

WHO WAS THE WOMAN WHO WORE THE HAT? by Nancy Patz

THE CAT IN THE HAT by Dr. Seuss

THE CAT IN THE HAT COMES BACK by Dr. Seuss

RICHARD SCARRYS MR. FRUMBLES BIGGEST HAT FLAP BOOK EVER by Richard Scarry

ZOES HATS: A BOOK OF COLORS AND PATTERNS by Sharon Lane Holm

WHO TOOK THE FARMERS HAT? By Joan L. Nodset

WHOS UNDER THE HAT by Sarah Weeks

THE MAGIC HAT by Mem Fox

MISS FANNIES HAT by Jan Karon

CASEYS NEW HAT by Tricia Gardella

EL SOMBRERO DEL TIO NACHO/UNCLE NACHOS HAT by Harriet Rohmer

THE HAT by Jan Brett

MR GEORGE AND THE RED HAT by Stephen Heigh

MY LUCKY HAT by Kevin OMalley

AUNT FLOSSIES HAT (AND CRAB CAKES LATER) by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard

Why are there so many childrens books about hats? Those of you who are regular readers of the HAT BLOG or the Hat Information and Resources section of VillageHatShop.com may have an inkling where I am about to go. Yes, this is in fact another example of a theme that runs throughout the blog and the site, i.e. hats matter. Hats are cultural icons. Hats sit prominently and significantly on the top of ones head. Hats are a bridge to history. Hats transform the wearer. Hats, as a symbol, can be simple and complex at the same time. Hats are fun. As an object to revolve a story around, a hat is a perfect fit. Lets take a smattering of examples:

Hats as a bridge to learning about history and as a file cabinet for important letters and papers: ABE LINCOLNS HAT.

Hats as head covering for chemotherapy patients and as an object helping to sustain hope: KATHYS HATS.

Hat (Bad Hat specifically) as metaphor for a person: MADELINE AND THE BAD HAT.

Hat as superhero: THE HAT (Ungerer).

Hat as a valuable item for barter: THE SCARECROWS HAT.

Hat as an eccentric and highly individual fashion statement: MISS HUNNICUTTS HAT.

Hat as a good luck charm: MY LUCKY HAT.

Hat as an article spurring recall and story telling: MISS FANNIES HAT and AUNT FLOSSIES HATS (AND CRAB CAKES LATER).

Hat as an old friend and companion and as a metaphor for change: UNCLE NACHOS HAT/EL SOMBRERO DEL TIO NACHO.

Granted, I am guilty of an a priori bias to infuse headwear with a high degree of symbolic significance, cache, cultural value, and the like (Ive got to justify my existence somehow for gods sake), and yet who can argue with its validity? Clearly, writers and artists from Seuss to Keats to Bemelmans to Scarry et al. who dont share my self-interested prejudice, still find this relevance in hats.

But, I believe, the proliferation of the hat in childrens literature is more than all this. Parenting in modern America can feel like an out of control merry-go-round. The drumbeat of media messages to buy the right toys, infuse your home with the right music [Mozart] so as to promote brain development, commit to the right play group, enroll the child in the right pre-school (that promises to prepare your kid for the Ivy League), treading through the ubiquitous disingenuity (politicians and advertisers spinning, lying, and double-speaking) and deciding when and what to expose your innocent to the modern world, rampant commercialism (dont buy anything except a hat), war is it any wonder why a parent is attracted to a simple story that revolves around a simple honest object that connotes a simpler time. Hat as nostalgic icon yes, that too. But alas, more than nostalgia - for crying out loud, the parent understandably wants to take her kid off that crazy modern merry-go-round. The parent has an epiphany -- dont heap all this adult nonsense and anxiety upon my kid Ill buy a little book and read about a hat. This is a good thing to do in our hyper-complex 21st Century -- its in fact good for the soul.

Fred Belinsky

http://VillageHatShop.com