Aunt Lucy Went to Buy a Hat [Library Binding]

Alice Low (Author), Laura Huliska-beith (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

Oh no, Aunt Lucy a hat not a cat!

Scatterbrained Aunt Lucy loses her hat and sets off to buy a new one. But it's easy to get sidetracked by all those marvelous shops!

Children will soak up the delicious details of this imaginative townscape -- and spot Aunt Lucy's missing hat on every spread. Filled with clever wordplay, this comical escapade will delight any reader who loves memorable characters, a happy ending, and the fun of a rollicking rhyme.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2--In this rhyming tale, ditzy Aunt Lucy madly searches for her new blue hat, which readers will immediately notice is tied around her neck and hanging against her back. As she heads out the door to buy a new one, the bonnet is blown away by the wind. After trying to get the woman's attention, a red bird carries it along as Aunt Lucy visits shops all over town. She is easily distracted by things that rhyme with whatever item she is looking for. So, instead of a hat, she gets a cat. Instead of milk, she picks up some silk, and so on. When she finally comes out of her daze long enough to remember why she went out in the first place, her new cat rescues the very hat she lost at the beginning of the book. The text, which has a wonderful singsong quality, reads aloud well. Children will love the hilarious and wacky collage illustrations that add many details to the narrative. "Now who'd imagine/All of that/From going out/To buy a hat?" This romp would be a fine choice to top off Esphyr Slobodkina's Caps for Sale (HarperCollins, 1947) and Ezra Jack Keats's Jennie's Hat (Viking, 2003) in a storytime about headgear.--Bina Williams, Bridgeport Public Library, CT
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 1. Absentminded Aunt Lucy has lost her hat. She heads downtown to replace it but finds herself surrounded by retail temptations that distract her from her task. First, a cat catches her fancy; then, of course, one must have milk for kitty; and so on, until the hat is totally forgotten. Rhythmically similar to "The House That Jack Built" and structured around word pairings familiar from basal readers (cat/hat, bed/thread, meat/sheet), Low's verses are right on target for very young children. Although Lucy's purchases have more to do with phonics than logic, little ones will hardly mind as they enjoy the catchy rhythms, giggle at Lucy's foolish choices, and sympathize with the challenge of distinguishing wants from needs. Illustrator Huliska-Beith's Aunt Lucy looks the part of a flighty oddball with her towering hairstyle and cat's-eye spectacles, and the many collage details in the pictures add a suitably eccentric touch. Pair this with Paul Meisel's Zara's Hats (2003) and the Esphyr Slobodkina classic, Caps for Sale, for a fashion-forward story hour. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Library Binding: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (January 20, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060089725
• ISBN-13: 978-0060089726
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 9.2 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,592,115 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Shop With Aunt Lucy", February 11, 2004

By 

Felice Buckvar (Woodbury, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aunt Lucy Went to Buy a Hat (Library Binding)

Alice Low has done it again! The author of "The Witch Who Was Afraid of Witches" has written another delightful tale about Aunt Lucy who keeps getting distracted by words in rhyme, ending up with a cat when she wanted a hat, silk instead of milk, and so forth. Along the way, she seems to be having a wonderful time in a town enlivened by fanciful illustrations. When she finally achieves her goal, pre-schoolers and young elementary-school students will be glad they went along on her jaunt!

5.0 out of 5 stars What did I come here for again?, November 19, 2008

By 

Alanabanana (Lynden, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aunt Lucy Went to Buy a Hat (Hardcover)

This book is loved by both my girls and makes me laugh out loud because I can relate to Aunt Lucy. I go out shopping for a certain thing but get distracted by sales etc. and come home with new things except for the item I went out for in the first place! The illustrations are beautifully contemporary which adds so much to Aunt Lucy's character. I really recommend this book!

3.0 out of 5 stars silly shopper, October 17, 2005

By 

reader mother (TN United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Aunt Lucy Went to Buy a Hat (Hardcover)

I ran across this book at a bookstore, & got it for my child's school library (endorsed by librarian). My 6 1/2 yr old 1st grade daughter liked it. The illustrations are zany. The silly story, rhyming, & short length are perfect for this age group - silly sense of humor, new readers, constantly on the move.