Stormy's Hat: Just Right for a Railroad Man
CCBC Review:
Railroad engineer Stormy Kromer drives the Red Stack line from St. Paul to Chicago. He loves his work, but he doesn’t love his hat. In fact, he doesn’t love any of them. His derby hat blows off in the wind when the train goes into a tunnel. His cowboy hat gets in the way of reading gauges. The paper pressman’s hat he tries bursts into flame from a rogue cinder. Every night he comes home and complains, and every night his wife, Ida, says, “I think you should---” but before she can finish, Stormy interrupts. “Aw, don’t you worry your pretty little head . . . I’ll figure out something.” The night Stormy comes home with a pounding headache from the heavy fireman’s hat he’s borrowed, Ida has had enough. “My head isn’t little. It’s as big as yours. Either listen to what I have to say, or stop complaining.” And what Ida, who turns out to be a seamstress, has to say is that she can make him the perfect hat—she just needs him to describe what it should look like. Eric A. Kimmel’s droll picture book tells the (mostly) true story of how the traditional railroad workers’ hat came to be. Andrea U’ren’s terrific illustrations perfectly complement the humor while making it clear all along that Ida may be able to give Stormy exactly what he’s looking for. ©2008 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
Illustrated by Andrea U'Ren
CCBC Age Recommendation: 5-8
Age Range:
PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Format:
Picture book
Subjects:
Clothing
Historical Fiction
Humor
Problem-Solving
Vehicles and Transportation
Publisher:
Farrar Straus Giroux
Publish Year: 2008
Pages: 32
ISBN: 9780374372620
CCBC Location: Picture Book, Kimmel