The Pink Hat

by Andrew Joyner (Author)

Reading Level: K − 1st Grade

Celebrate girl power with this charming and empowering picture book about a pink hat and the budding feminist who finds it.

"This simple and cheerful tale suggests, with not an ounce of preachiness, values of care and comfort and the support women have for each other across generations." --The Washington Post 

Here is a clever story that follows the journey of a pink hat that is swiped out of a knitting basket by a pesky kitten, blown into a tree by a strong wind, and used as a cozy blanket for a new baby, then finally makes its way onto the head of a young girl marching for women's equality.

Inspired by the 5 million people (many of them children) in 82 countries who participated in the 2017 Women's March, Andrew Joyner has given us a book that celebrates girls and women and equal rights for all!

With themes of empathy, equality, and solidarity, The Pink Hat is a timeless and timely story that will empower readers and promote strength in the diverse and active feminist community.

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Publishers Weekly

Publishing ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Women's March, this picture book focuses on one of the most recognizable images from the demonstrations: the pink knit hat. Australian illustrator Joyner (Bear Make Den) imagines a backstory of sorts for one such hat: an older woman knits it, snaps a selfie with it, then uses it to warm her feet. The hat doesn't remain with her for long. "It was a pink hat. A cozy pink hat. That is until...," Joyner writes, as a cat grabs the hat and plays with it. From there, the hat makes its way to a baby, a dog, and a girl, who uses it as a boxing glove, artist's satchel, and more before joining an enormous crowd of pink-hatted marchers, whose placards read, "Women's rights are human rights" and "The future is feminist." Joyner's airy, pink-accented drawings are chic, and he wisely keeps the story's focus on women and girls. But on the whole it reads like a lost-object tale with only a tenuous connection to the power of protest, in general, or what inspired these demonstrations in particular. Ages 4-8. Agent: Kirsten Hall, Catbird Agency. (Dec.)

Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1--Simple grayscale illustrations and short sentences pop with pink as the story of a pink hat is told. Readers follow the knitted hat from its creation to a series of adventures including a cat, a tree, a small child, a dog, and a little girl, who wears her pink hat to a march where everyone else wears a pink hat, too. The text does not mention the 2017 Women's March per se, but a short paragraph in the back matter does. Interestingly, the author-illustrator is an Australian man. The story reads almost like a Dr. Seuss story, with simple repeating phrases, and does not comment on the political situation or get specific about what the pink hat represents, though the signs at the protest read "The Future is Feminist" and "Women's Rights are Human Rights." The cartoon art and the text stay very light. VERDICT A gentle, upbeat story of a hat that happens to represent much more than meets the eye.--Lisa Nowlain, Nevada County Community Library, CA

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"This simple and cheerful tale suggests, with not an ounce of preachiness, values of care and comfort and the support women have for each other across generations." —The Washington Post
Andrew Joyner
Andrew Joyner is the illustrator and author of numerous children's books, including Too Many Elephants in the House by Ursula Dubosarsky and The Swap by Jan Ormerod. He also wrote and illustrated the Boris chapter book series, about a winsome and adventurous warthog. His books are now published in more than twenty-five countries. He lives with his wife on the Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia. Visit him on the Web at www.andrewjoyner.com.au.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781524772260
Lexile Measure
170
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Schwartz & Wade Books
Publication date
December 20, 2017
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV039140 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance
JUV014000 - Juvenile Fiction | Girls & Women
JUV039120 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Prejudice & Racism
Library of Congress categories
Hats
United States
Women's rights
Feminism

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