The Magic Hat

The Magic Hat by Mem Fox
Illustrated by Tricia Tusa

     One fine day, a magic hat flew into a town.  The magic hat moves with the wind and lands on unsuspecting town folks, turning them into animals.  "Oh, the magic hat, the magic hat! It moved like this, it moved like that!" and then, puff! it turned an old man into a toad, a fruit seller into a baboon, a sleepy businessman into a bear, a mother and her baby into kangaroos.  A giant friendly "wizard appeared with a sign that said: STOP!" And everything when back to normal.  While the crowd discussed the events of the day, the wizard left town.  As he turns his back to us, we see him not as a giant wizard but a boy...wearing the hat "that made all the magic -wherever it sat!"
     The Magic Hat is a delightful book of magic, wonder and fun.  The repeating story patterns and rhymes will have children completing the verses right away.  The ink and watercolor illustrations are charming and full of details.  I've always loved books with a touch of magic, and this is a read aloud I keep going back to at home and in the classroom.  It's a great one to use for text innovation activities in the lower grades.