We Found A Hat
We Found A Hat is the third title in a trilogy that includes I Want My Hat Back (2011) and This Is Not My Hat (2012). This trio of funny stories about animals finding and stealing hats will keep children listening and laughing over and over again. In this final “hat” story, two turtle friends find a beautiful hat but there is a problem. Two friends, one hat. What is the solution to this dilemma? Find out in this simple, imaginative story sure to be a winner with children. More information about I Want My Hat Back (2011) and This Is Not My Hat (2012) can be found on the Baker’s Dozen website located in the following years: 2012 and 2013.
Pennsylvania Center for the Book Awards
Book Activities & Discussion Ideas
Before reading, ask children about their favorite hats to wear. What makes it your favorite? Read the story aloud. Ask the children if there are any other solutions that the turtles could have come up with rather than leaving the hat where they found it and forgetting about it. Some possible answers might be: taking and sharing the hat with the turtles taking turns wearing it; taking the hat and finding another similar hat; burying the hat so that it would be easier to forget about, etc. After reading, invite the children to draw a picture of their favorite hat or head covering. Ask the children to tell their peers about their drawings. If there are hats available for dramatic play, create a parade of hats, and ask each child to describe the hat they have chosen and why they picked that hat.
Share with families the three “hat” books in the trilogy. Refer them to the “Tips for Using with Families” section of the first two titles on the Baker’s Dozen website (located in the following years: 2012 and 2013). In this third book, invite parents to talk with their children about how they make decisions like the turtles did in leaving the hat where they found it. It is important for children to learn decision-making skills. When a child makes a good decision they will often feel the satisfaction of having made the choice. When a decision doesn’t turn out as a child planned or the decision was unwise, it’s an opportunity for a child to learn coping skills from the experience, and make better decisions in the future.