Customer Reviews

The Singing Hat

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One day, a very tired Colin Jenkins sat down under a tree at lunchtime to rest and quickly fell asleep. When he awoke, it was dark out and he realized he'd slept the day away, so he started for home. On the train, he noticed that all the other passengers were staring at him. He didn't understand why until he got home, passed a mirror and saw that a bird had built a nest and laid an egg on his head, while he'd slept. What to do...Colin Jenkins had never had to make such an important decision before. Should he disturb the nesting bird "at such a fragile and important time" of its life, or leave things alone and not "interfere with nature", even though it could make his life difficult and cause him problems.....? Tohby Riddle has authored a simple, thoughtful story that should be the springboard to interesting family discussions about tough choices, commitment and doing what's right, even if it's not always appreciated by others. The charming text and gentle, sympathetic message are complemented by his humorous, cartoon-like artwork that keeps the story light and entertaining. Perfect for youngsters 4-8, it will have even more meaning for older children. The Singing Hat is a delightful, thought-provoking fable and a welcome addition to all home libraries.

While this book was Honoured by The Children's Book Council of Australia, my children simply did not like it. After one reading the refused to listen to it again. They explained to me `the idea of a man with a bird's nest on his head' is stupid. The premise of the book is Colin Jenkins falls asleep under a tree, while a rare bird builds a nest on his head. Rather than remove the nest from his head, he loses friends, his job and his home, and one day the birds simply fly away, never to be seen again. The Jenkins family, is left with a birds nest, which they lay beside the window sill and `from time to time he would find the most beautiful and improbable things...'. While my kids did not find the story amusing, they were fascinated by the illustrations, a combination of hand drawn sketches, colour and meaningful collage.

Tohby Riddle is the Dave Barry of Austrailia. I borrowed from library because I literally would go to an alphabetical section of picture books and flip through them as I read to my (now 7 and 4 year old)children nightly, and consume a lot of books. There's a message to this book that my kids coulnd't come close to comprehending...heck I couldn't have until I was over 40 myself. This is right up there with "Where the Wild Things are" or any one of the seminal childrens books...the guy is a genius...also, my kids loved it. When I took a new job, my boss wanted everyone to do 2 book reviews, one on technical (Fabrozzi was mine), and the other on a social issue...I almost chose this.

No surprise this book is an import from Australia (picked up by one of the few American publishers that loves to make real books, not products). It is a perfectly understated absurdist tale that assumes one has imagination. As a Substitute Teacher, my reading it leaves the younger kids smiling. Therapists take note:It should also be prescribed for any guy who's going through career and/or spiritual changes.