#11- KiKi's Hats
Written and Illustrated by: Warren Hanson
2007
32 pages
Poetry
I chose this book because my mother suggested it to me after she read it to her Sunday School children at church. This is a precious book that teaches children about the joy of giving. An old lady name KiKi enjoys making hats. She knits them by hand and has quite a pile going on. It all begins with one little girl asking if she can have one of KiKi's hats. Of course, KiKi says yes, but on one condition! She must also take a hat to give to a friend. This begins a trend. Soon the girl and her friends are back, hatless, because they enjoyed giving so much. News spreads all around, and KiKi continues to make hats for whoever needs them. The book gives several different examples of people needing care who recieved hats. At the end of the story, we are told that KiKi's pile of hats got so large, it took her right up to Heaven, where she is still knitting caps for anyone who wants to have one and give a few.
I love the illustrations in this book for many different reasons. They are super colorful! Each of KiKi's knitted hat has a different color and pattern. The pictures are drawn with pen and marker, then colored in with paint and marker. For anything knitted, a computer generated "knit" texture is applied. It was a really nice touch and helps the kids understand what "knit" looks like. There is a green piece of string that appears on every page, "stringing" the book together.
This book is perfect for children and adults of all ages because of the message behind it. You are never too old to learn about giving. KiKi's Hats would be a great book to use in a poetry or rhyming words unit. You could also use it in a character education lesson on giving or sharing. My favorite use for this book is to read it before you begin a community service project at school. We always did canned foor drives and I think a book like this would be a great intro for the students to understand just what they are raising food for.
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