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Growing Up





 A great hero in kids' books is the titular hat, in Tomi Ungerer's "The Hat."

This magical hat lands on the head of a sad man, down on his luck. The hat can't waste time on sadness. It begins performing tricks. It scoops up a falling cactus, thus sparing a wealthy duke under a high-rise window. 

The hat rescues a purple puffbird, who has escaped from the zoo. The hat then blocks up a certain chimney, so that brigands are smoked out of a safe house. Without resting, the hat fills itself with water and puts out a small fire that has threatened to engulf a baby carriage.

Our avatar, Badoglio, rewarded all over town for the feats of his hat, now hopes to find a lady love. His hat spots a wild horse, briefly blinds the horse, and allows Badoglio to rescue a carriage-passenger, a contessa. Love blossoms. The hat moves on to other adventures, possibly in Venice? The End.

Leave it to Ungerer to get you rooting for the magic hat. I love the pacing, the cast of characters, and the mysterious moon, a favorite subject of Ungerer's. (See also "Moon Man," "Three Robbers," and "Fog Island.")

Happy Weekend!



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