The Upside Down Hat
Written by Stephen Barr
Chronicle Books (March 22, 2022)
What happens to a boy who has nothing but a hat? Everything.
A boy wakes up one morning and finds that everything he owns has gone missing. With nothing but a simple green hat, the boy journeys through distant landscapes, searching high and low for the things he has lost. Along the way he discovers that perhaps everything he needs has been with him all along.
“[I]n this meandering fable by debut author Barr. . . . [s]pare narration and subtle themes of hope and dedication guide the child forward . . . Zhang’s (Nigel and the Moon) characteristic style, rendered in ink, gouache, and watercolor, portray a brown-skinned cast against a vividly colored landscape of deserts, broken Grecian columns, cherry trees, and bustling open-air markets in this picture book about contentment amid loss.”―Publishers Weekly
“Debut author Barr keeps the language simple and lyrical. Watercolor illustrations vibrating with wobbly lines suggest life and motion . . . The last double-page spread . . . depicting the boy on stilts clomping into the distance wearing the hat while his avian friends play in a birdbath, is a joyous conclusion . . .”―Kirkus Reviews
"A lullingly spare story . . . with exquisite, Bemelmans-like illustrations . . . With contrails of The Little Prince and magic-carpet colors, even adults will be transported." ―The New York Times
