A Hatful of Dreams by Bob Graham

From this warm and loving house at the end of the street, dreams take flight and light the way to a brighter tomorrow. A heartfelt tale of hope and love, perfect for children and grandparents to share together, written and illustrated by master storyteller Bob Graham. Walker Books

From the front cover with that large, pink comfy chair, reminiscent of Let's get a Pup, to the title page which links so beautifully with Rose meets Mr Wintergarten and of course the little family who have surely stepped off the pages of Oscar's First Birthday - all fans of Bob Graham will be filled with happiness that we can once again enter his story world. Oh, and you will surely recognise grandad - yes, I am sure this is Bob Graham himself. 

Illustration from Oscar's Half Birthday

I collect books by Bob Graham so I went back and looked at these three books plus a couple of others. Have you noticed the way Bob Graham often highlights a small family home and his illustration contrasts this against the surrounding neighborhood for example the lightning bolt house in Max or the new house in Rose meets Mr Wintergarten. 

Houses from Max; Grandad's Magic and Rose Meet Mr Wintergarten

The title page of A Hatful of Dreams

Bob Graham is also a master of the interiors of homes. You need to take your time to notice little details such as a discarded teddy bear, washing up on the sink, slippers, the art on the walls, and the really comfortable furniture. Bob Graham is also a master of warm hugs.

Illustration from Let's Get a Pup - a comfy lounge

Illustration from Grandad's Magic - another comfy lounge

Some other things to delight you in A Hatful of Dreams: 

• The end papers show Millie and Sonny playing tether tennis (I loved this game when I was young)
• Chickens, a dog and washing on the clothesline
• Look for the photo of Grandad with his wife - we can infer she has died but grandad still loves her deeply. I love that this is now an extended family and Gradad has moved in with his daughter and the three young grandchildren
• Grandad has a tattoo of a bluebird on his hand
• Here is a beautiful phrase "Maggie! Top of the pile, her tail wagging, with a puppy smell of fresh walnuts."
• You can link this book with the theme of urban renewal - we also saw this in the book A Bus Called Heaven
• "Wrappers off toffees" - go back and read Greetings from Sandy Beach - yes there are toffees there too

Blurb Penguin Random House Canada: The Mile End Road once sparkled in sunshine and children’s laughter, until hard times came and all the people left, taking with them the sun, moon, and stars. But one family stayed on this broken-down street: the Andersons, in their house with a warm little glow, where kids bounce happily on Dad’s back, and Grandad’s fingers squeak on guitar strings as he jokes about all the secrets and dreams he keeps under his hat. “Grandad, I’ve seen you without your hat,” insists Millie, “and nothing was there except your hair.” But what will the children see the next time he doffs his hat? As always with Bob Graham, the tenderness is in the details: strewn-about stuffies, tumbling children, a blue-jeaned grandad with one leg thrown over his chair arm. It’s a story where even a derelict neighborhood can spark back to life, and where the love of a playfully bantering grandad can conjure a whole universe of light.

By the tale’s end, something has changed, and the neighborhood becomes revitalized at last. The eclectic mix of realism and magic is what makes this tale work. Graham’s greatest talents lie in the day-to-day natural messiness of life in a family where Dad drops “pieces of tissue from a just-washed shirt like a soft fall of snow.” The author/illustrator’s signature spare watercolors bring to life the gloom of the abandoned street, the warmth of the home, and the magic that leaks from Grandad’s hat. ... True magic lies at the heart of this marvelous tale. Kirkus

Briony Stewart introduces the slogan here.

Today the CBCA announced the 2026 Book Week slogan or as some people call it the theme - A Symphony of Stories. There is plenty of time of course but I am sure you will want to gather a collection of picture books with musical references. In A Hatful of Dreams grandad has composed a little tune. He plays a fragment of it on his harmonica and mum joins in with her violin. Oh, I need to mention there is a harmonica (can you spy it) on the limited edition print Bob Graham did for IBBY Australia many years ago.

IBBY Australia limited edition print by Bob Graham

Notice the harmonica which links with his newest book A Hatful of Dreams

The Hidden Hat by Phil Cummings illustrated by Jennifer Goldsmith

From Phil Cummings webpage:

While playing hide-and-seek at Grandpa’s house, Lucy and Mitch find a hat, hidden away in a deep, dark corner. It’s Grandpa’s hat, filled with memories … In this moving story of rediscovery, truth and mateship, a hidden hat stirs memories of a grandfather’s days serving in Vietnam … 

Phil’s brother-in-law served in Vietnam, at Nui Dat in 1968/69, and the book has been dedicated to him.

Book design - Notice:

• End papers are filled with Rosemary.
• Army Helicopters on the title page
• Seasonal references - April is Autumn here in Australia and April is the month of ANZAC Day
• The subtle change of colours to show present day and past times in Vietnam
• The very young faces of the soliders
• Poppy flowers for remembrance

Take a look at my previous post about ANZAC day books. I did write this ten years ago so there are sure to be other books to use for ANZAC day with your library group that have been published more recently. The Hidden Hat was published in March, 2024 so it is brand new! And many school libraries will have this book as it was supplied with some of our Standing Order services. This book is a perfect addition to a library because it looks at a different war - Vietnam and also it is a book that is accessible for very young children aged 6+.  Here are some others for older students.

And for a different perspective try to find this moving story:

Here are the teachers notes from Scholastic for The Hidden Hat. You should read The Hidden Hat alongside this book also by Phil Cummings which also has a duel narrative:

Read more here

You could also take a look at this very special book which also features hats and a grandfather by Phil Cummings:

Newspaper Hats

Here are other books illustrated by Jennifer Goldsmith:

Frank's Red Hat by Sean E Avery

Frank is a creative soul. He discovers the joy of knitting and he makes a splendid hat but the other conservative penguins are not sure this is a good idea. They like their safe predicable black and white world and then when their friend Neville is eaten by a killer whale they are convinced nothing good will come from wearing Frank's hats.

But Frank is not a penguin who accepts defeat.  He continues to make his hats embracing so many exotic colours. 

He tries to share his best hat with his old penguin friends but the run away terrified. Luckily for Frank someone else has been watching all of this. The seals love his hats and so Frank regains his confidence and his creativity. Frank has been given a very distinct and very appealing personality.

This book gave me a huge smile. I adore the illustrations which remind of the award-winning illustrator Jon Klassen who also uses similar textured effects.The use of analogue and digital illustrative techniques lends this book an air of sophistication. 

There are some deeper meanings here but I just love the lightness of touch given to the story, the perseverance of Frank, his creativity, and the hilarious twist at the end. This book will open up conversations about risk taking, difference and courage along with a terrific discussion about the names we give to colours. It also opens up opportunities to think about other perspectives such as the penguins and their resistance to change. 

The end papers are perfect. I love the way the illustrations delightfully extend the text such as when Frank uses the broken walrus tusk as fish spike. Those eyes on the walrus say so much. Then things go full circle when we see the walrus has his tusk tied on with pink wool and, like the seals, he too is wearing a special hat but wait a minute - look at the nose on the snowman - oh no!

The story pace is perfect too. Sean Avery shows us how to read a line like “it’s for keeping our head warm – in style” by the simple placement of that dash. In terms of the plot line, I enjoyed the moment of drama when Neville is eaten by a killer whale – the text makes this feel less tragic and more about the cycle of life and death on the ice.   

Frank’s Red Hat is one of those picture books that certainly can be shared with younger children but which will also generate deeper discussions and enjoyment for older students too. This story addresses so many themes: the other, fear, conformity, 'group think', diversity. 

Frank's Red Hat was short listed for our Children's Book Council Book of the Year awards - Picture Book. I was a judge this year and so some of my comments are based on the critique I wrote which you can see here. 

Here are some junior teaching ideas from the publisher Walker books. Here is the website for Sean E Avery - he lives in Western Australia. Here is a video where Sean shows his art process. 

My Friend the Octopus by Lindsay Galvin illustrated by Gordy Wright

"I peered into the top of the hollow pearl. A glint so bright it was as if sunbeams had been captured and sealed inside."

Vinnie (Lavinia) Fyfe works with her mother in a London milliners shop. The year is 1893.  Vinnie is skilled with drawing and her mother uses/exploits this skill to design new hats which she sells to very wealthy customers. Vinnie is not unhappy but Rosamund Fyfe has very strict ideas about behaviour and class. Vinnie has no idea about the level of control her mother has always exerted over her until, just before dawn one day her mother whisks Vinnie away to Brighton leaving her with a distant cousin Aunt Bets. Aunt Bets runs a tea room above the Brighton aquarium. Vinnie is told Rosamund needs to go to Paris and so for the first time in her life Vinnie is left alone. 

"Being Mother’s constant companion meant that I was never really alone, and the thought of finding my own way to the aquarium filled me with new dismay, mainly at myself. I now realised I’d got to twelve years old utterly ill-equipped to deal with this adventure."

On the day of her arrival at the aquarium a new exhibit has arrived - a huge octopus. Vinnie is fascinated by this amazing creature. It takes some bravery but she discovers she has a talent for drawing more than hats. Her sketches of the octopus even appear in a local newspaper. 

This is a story set during Victorian times so of course there is a villan - Mr Jedders - a former employee of their Grosvenor Square shop. He is pursuing Rosamund but Vinnie has no idea why but his manner and violence are very frightening. Luckily Vinnie makes two new, clever, resourceful and wise friends - a young boy called Charlie who is the nephew of Mr Lee head of the aquarium and a young very well educated African girl called Temitayo. The group make a horrible discovery about the green colour used for fabric and ribbons used on the hats her mother makes.  Readers are given a glimpse into the terrible highly dangerous working conditions of children who labour to make this sort-after shade. 

I read this book in one sitting (256 pages). The plot just races along with perfect twists and a heroine who must succeed. The octopus itself is also an interesting character because every animal lover will desperately hope this wild creature can be released back into the ocean. Confinement in a small tank seems so cruel. 

Lindsay weaves mysteries together with ease while immersing us in some of the darker sides of Victorian society, one of which there are sadly all too real comparisons to make with modern day fast fashion – something which is bound to be a talking point beyond the book. Miss Cleveland is Reading

Here is an interview with the author which gives some very interesting insights into the research behind this book. I hope you love the book cover as much as I do. Well done Chicken House - this cover is perfect. Read this review by Lily and the Fae which has an in depth analysis of the plot and links to slavery, class and fashion. 

I loved the tea shop in this book and the scene where they eat Battenberg cake and at the back of the book there is a recipe for petit fours - yum. There are also a couple of terrific scenes in this book about bicycle riding in skirts and bloomers and sea bathing huts on wheels. And the back has extensive notes explaining the historical background used for this story. 

My Friend the Octopus is children’s historical fiction at its best. Lindsay Galvin brilliantly evokes the Victorian era, encompassing fashion, leisure activities, attitudes to women, and the disparity between rich and poor. Victorian Brighton comes alive with its bathing huts, the aquarium, and Italian ice cream served in shells. Get Kids into Books

I am keen to read another book by Lindsay Galvin:

A hat for Mr Mountain by Soojin Kwak

Nora is a hat maker. I should at this point reveal my late mother's name was Nora and her sister really was a milliner (hat maker). In this story, Nora makes hats for everyone - dogs, foxes, and even giraffes. One day she receives an interesting letter. Mr Mountain has seen her hats and he wants Nora to make a hat as a protection from the winter snow.

Nora enlists the help of her friends and she makes a hat. It is a giant knitted hat. It fits really well but then it begins to rain. The wool shrinks and soon the hat is way too small. 

"But Nora didn't give up."

For her next attempt at hat making for the mountain she gathers hundreds of beautiful green leaves and she weaves them into a fresh green hat. Unfortunately this creation looks so delicious, greedy animals start to eat it before Nora even gets the chance to deliver this wonderful hat. 

Back to the problem. Wool shrinks and green leaves are eaten by the animals. What about wood? Oh no wood can burn. It's another hat disaster. Sadly this time Nora does give up but her wonderful friends do not. The perfect hat can be made from (spoiler alert) - clouds! Watching all of her forest friends collecting the clouds is a truly special scene.

This will be an excellent book to use with your youngest classes exploring topics and themes such as problem solving, creativity, kindness, team work and generosity. This is also a book to share sitting beside a young reading companion because there are so many tiny details to explore in the illustrations.

Here is a companion read:

Brimsby's Hats

Soojin Kwak won the Silent Book Prize at the Bologna book fair in 2019 for her book Starbuilders (Costruttori di Stelle). This is a silent or wordless book so it does not really need translating from Italian but as far as I can discover this book is not available here in Australia.

The Hatmakers by Tamzin Merchant

The Hatmakers are commissioned to make a special hat for the King. Every component is important. For example Cordelia helps Aunt Ariadne add spider silk from the Brown Study Spider to the hat. Spiders work hard to spin their silk and so this is added to the hat to help the King work hard. It is specifically from a Brown Study Spider because this spider likes paper and silence and the king needs paper and silence to concentrate. Next Cordelia heads off to fetch a fresh flower from the St Aegis Vine but the most important thing is missing - the ear feather from the Athenian Owl - the wisest bird in the world which would have kept the King focused on his work and keen to remain undisturbed.

In the world of this book there are makers commissioned by the royal family - hatmakers, bootmakers, watchmakers, glovemakers, and cloakmakers. Once these artisans worked together in cooperation but something has happened and now they avoid one another and if they do meet there is suspicion and anger. The King himself seems to be losing his mind. He is sent away and his daughter Princess Georgina must now meet with the King of France. War is threatened and it seems one of the royal advisers is fuelling a fire. Lord Witloof appears to want a war. Cordelia is so worried about her father who has been reported drowned. She teams up with a young member of the bootmakers called Goose, and they form a team to thwart the evil intentions of Lord Witloof and to prevent a disastrous war with France. Along the way they will also need to make sense of the rift between the makers and learn who they can truly trust.

Publisher Blurb: Cordelia comes from a long line of magical milliners, who weave alchemy and enchantment into every hat. In Cordelia's world, Making - crafting items such as hats, cloaks, watches, boots and gloves from magical ingredients - is a rare and ancient skill, and only a few special Maker families remain.  When Cordelia's father Prospero and his ship, the Jolly Bonnet, are lost at sea during a mission to collect hat ingredients, Cordelia is determined to find him. But Uncle Tiberius and Aunt Ariadne have no time to help the littlest Hatmaker, for an ancient rivalry between the Maker families is threatening to surface. Worse, someone seems to be using Maker magic to start a war.  It's up to Cordelia to find out who, and why...

This is a new book and it is such fun.  I love the idea of hats that contain extra powers. 

A swashbuckling romp for lovers of history and magic. Kirkus

Merchant's writing is stunning and vivid, written with a beautiful prose style that is both accessible and full of elegance and wit. Forever Lost in Literature

You can read Chapter One here. This book is the first in a planned series. I highly recommend it for readers aged 10+. In this short video Tamzin talks about her book. You could use this to book talk The Hatmakers with your students. I should also mention there are some delicious food references in this story and there is a detailed, and highly imaginative glossary describing the various hat embellishments. Here is an example:

"Starlight - Lux stellaria - when strained through glass into a silver bowl, starlight is used to give hope and guidance to lost souls. Sprinkled on a hat, it fills the mind with sparkling ideas for adventures that promise to renew the spirit."

 I also love that Tamzin uses a very rich vocabulary in her story with words like grimoires; tomes; eldritch; jollity; rue; creatrix; and phaeton. 

Lisette's Green Sock by Catharina Valckx translated by Antony Shugaar

Lisette finds a green sock. She knows this is a lucky sock. Tomcat and Timcat see her wearing the one sock. They are a pair of mean cat brothers.

"A sock! You're a birdbrain, Lisette. So where's the other one? Don't you know socks come in pairs?"

No problem. Lisette sets off to look for the other sock but sadly she has no luck. Arriving home her mother kindly offers to wash the one sock. As Lisette waits for it to dry her friend Bert arrives. He suggests a new way to use the sock - as a hat! He puts it on and it is a perfect fit. Meanwhile those mean cat brothers have actually found the second sock. They taunt Lisette and Bert by holding the sock and running away. Eventually they toss the sock into the sea. This is utterly shocking but do not worry. Catharina Valckx has created the most perfect ending. Lisette's mother has made a second sock. 

"Lisette's mother has knitted a new sock. It's green. Exactly like the other one. Lisette jumps for joy and gives her a hug."

Are you wondering about the sock that was tossed in to the sea? Well it ends up in the perfect place too. I suggest you grab a copy of this book - I am certain the final page will give you and your young reading companion a huge smile.

A cute and characterful tale of a simple duck and her lucky find, that even a pair of rotten bullycats can't ruin. Read it Daddy

If you speak French here is a reading of the book. Here are a set of teaching notes from Walker Books. Australian Standing Orders included this title in their 2020 international selection. Here are some sample discussion questions:

• Lisette goes through a range of feelings in the story. Look at each spread and discuss how Lisette might be feeling. Discuss situations when students have felt the same way and why.
• Find examples in the text of moments Lisette and Bert support each other as friends. What do you think makes a good friend' and why?

When you see a book by Gecko Press can I recommend you pick it up. This New Zealand publisher (distributed in Australia by Walker Books) have such a great eye for book treasures from around the world. Lisette's Green Sock is a French book and it was first published as "La chausette verte de Lisette".  I have previously talked about another book by Catharina Valckx - Zanzibar.

Millie's marvellous hat by Satoshi Kitamura

I am making a collection of books about hats because next term we will celebrate National Simultaneous storytime and this year the featured book is I got this hat.

The NSS book this year is fairly simple and I will have an 'audience' of 150 excited Kindergarten students so I am planning on a hat celebration.

I have selected Millie's Marvellous Hat as one of the extra books we will feature at our school event. Millie sees a wonderful hat in a store but then discovers it costs 'five hundred and ninety-nine pounds and ninety-nine pence."  All Millie has is an empty purse.  The wonderful shop keeper comes to her rescue.  He has the most marvellous hat which can be any "size, shape or colour you wish.  All you have to do is imagine it."  Imagination is the key word here.  Millie sets off and her hat becomes a feather extravaganza, a tower of cakes, a bouquet of flowers and a joyous celebration of her happy thoughts.  On the final pages mum and dad join in too creating their own marvellous hats.  I really want to celebrate the adults in this book who are so affirming of Millie and her imagination.

I adore the art of Satoshi Kitamura.  You can read a review of another one of his books here.  Here is an amazing Pinterest collection of picture books about hats.

I plan to give each of my Kindergarten teachers a book about hats.  Here are some of my favourites:

Sebastian lives in a hat
More Caps for Sale
Clara Button and the magical hat day
Jennie's Hat
This is not my hat by Jon Klassen
I want my hat back by Jon Klassen
The Kinder hat by Morag Loh
Rosie's hat by Julia Donaldson

More caps for sale another tale of mischievous monkeys by Esphyr Slobodkina

One of the books we enjoy reading with our Kindergarten groups early in the school year is Caps for Sale.  I love books for this age with a repeated refrain.  The children love the way the monkeys copy the peddler and then are 'tricked' into tossing down those caps.  This classic book is now 75 years old.

I have a small collection of caps and we all practice the refrain "caps, caps for sale, fifty cents a cap."

All of this means I was quite excited when More Caps for Sale arrived in our standing order parcel from Bloomin' books this week.

Now take a minute to look at this video taken from Caps for Sale The Musical.  Anne Marie Mulhearn Sayer worked with Esphyr Slobodkina for many years and from this collaboration Sayer was able to use Slobodkina's work (she died in 2002) to create this new installment.

This newest book opens with the same first page as the original.  Over the page the action continues.  "While the peddler traveled home that day he thought about the bunch of monkeys who had taken his caps."  The peddler does not look back so he does not see these same pesky monkeys are now following him.

Here are some text extracts you could compare

"He looked to the left of him. No caps.
He looked to the right of him. No caps.
He looked behind him. No caps"

"He turned on his right side.  No sleep
He turned on his left side. No sleep
He lay on his back. No sleep."

I think Esphyr Slobodkina would absolutely approve of this new story.  It has been carefully crafted, it is faithful to the original, it is funny and it continues this story in a very satisfying way.

After reading Caps for Sale and More Caps for sale take a look at Fifty Red nightcaps.  With a class of older students you could compare these texts and discuss the strengths and perhaps weaknesses of Fifty Red nightcaps which innovates on the original text.

Finally take a little time to read this review in the New York Times.

But if you stand in front of a group of kids and announce that you are going to read this book, inevitably hands will shoot into the air and the kids will start telling you how they love that book / have that book / have read that book / etc.  It’s very rewarding.

Brimsby's hats by Andrew Prahin

I picked up this little picture book Brimsby's Hats yesterday because ...

• I loved the cover - the title is silver and embossed - you have to look closely to read it and it is so tactile
• Later this year we will once again celebrate National Simultaneous Storytime and this year it is a simple book about hats (I got this hat) so I have begun to make a collection of books on this theme.  We will read Brimsby's hats in the lead up to NSS
• It has been snowing in the Northern hemisphere and we are seeing new pictures here in Australia of huge piles of snow in places like NYC.  Meanwhile here in Australia, especially in Sydney, we seem to be lurching from one heat wave to the next so the idea of reading a cool book held great appeal

Brimsby is a hat maker.  My aunt was a hat maker or milliner. Brimsby makes hats for customers who live all over the world.  His other delight is spending time drinking tea and chatting with his good friend.  One day his friend ( we never discover his name) leaves.  Brimsby is alone and everything becomes very quiet. On this page each window shows the same scene as the trees change through the seasons until the land is white and the trees are bare.

Now we come to the part of this book that I love.  Brimsby does not sit around feeling sorry for himself he sets off into the snowy landscape to find a new friend or two.  Naturally he wears his favourite hat.  He finds some birds but they are preoccupied with other concerns and ignore his gesture of friendship.  Once again Brimsby impressed me.  He goes home and works on a wonderful solution to this problem with the birds.

It’s a well-crated little book full of unique charm. A example of old and new working together perfectly.

Clara Button and the magical hat day by Amy de la Haye and Emily Sutton

There are so many reasons why I have been looking forward to reading this book.

• I love hats and I also love books about hats.
• I saw this book in the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2012 and I was curious since the setting was the museum itself.
• My aunt was a milliner and she made my mother some glorious hats.
• I have a little gift card inspired by this book which I am saving for a special friend.

Clara Button and the magical hat day is a truly special book.  Clara is a quiet thoughtful girl who enjoys crafts. Her brother Ollie is a wild boy who enjoys skateboards and action.  One day Clara is quietly sorting her buttons (something I loved to do as a child with my Grandmother's button jars) when Ollie zooms into the room upsetting her work and worse tearing an old hat made by Granny Elsie many years ago.  Granny Elise was a milliner and mum is just as upset as Clara so she suggest they all make a visit to the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Ollie is surprised to discover it is not boring in a museum and Clara finds some special friends who help her with the repairs to her precious hat.  The illustrations in this book are perfect.  I especially like the colour palette. Here is a review if you need to know more.  And here is an audio review.

I also have some exciting news - there is a second book about Clara Button called Clara Buttons Indian Wedding.  It will arrive in our library soon.  There is also an ipad app of this story which sounds quite magical too.

Jennie's Hat by Ezra Jack Keats

Jennie’s Hat was one of my top one hundred picture books which were my focus last term. This is a simple story which demonstrates the rewards a simple act of unselfish kindness to others can bring.

Jennie longs for a new hat but when it arrives from her aunt it is so plain. Jennie can hardly hide her disappointment. Then she remembers it is three o’clock and time to go and feed the birds as she does every Saturday afternoon.

Coming home from church in her plain hat the next day she notices the birds are following her. Then the birds swoop down onto her hat and when they fly away Jennie now has the most magnificent hat complete with a nest of chirping birds.

Ezra Jack Keats uses vibrant collage illustrations to show the joy Jennie feels as her new hat is created. We have a lovely new copy of this picture book in our library. If you love hats you must read this book and check out the endpapers where Keats has created a lovely fabric design. You might also enjoy the Daisy Dawson series especially the first book Daisy Dawson is on her way. You can hear the whole story here.