After the response to the Top Ten Tuesday- Gems with under 1,000 ratings post was immensely positive, it was suggested regularly spotlighting great older books would be a great idea.
Millie’s Marvellous Hat by Satoshi Kitamura
Group: Picture Book
Published: Anderson (2010)
Key Words: Imagination, Hats, Reframing
Littlefae says
This book is MARVELLOUS! I like that word. She uses her imagination!! My favourite hat in the books is the cake hat
Tinyfae says
I like the cake one!! and dinosaurs! and the giraffe!!
We love a range of illustration style in our book collection, and Japanese artist Satoshi Kitamura’s work here is gorgeously dreamy through the use of watercolours and the expressive ink style feels fresh and exciting with the zingy palette of oranges, lime, sunshine yellow and ink blue.
Millie dreams of owning one of the exquisite hats from the shop in town, but she has no money. After trying in the most exquisite hat and admitting she cannot afford it instead of ushering her from the shop, the kindly shopkeeper brings out a hat box and places an amazing hat on her head that costs nothing, it is designed by her imagination.
Buoyed by the expressive nature and freedom to create whatever hat she wishes Millie steps out and begins to imagine, then realises that EVERYONE is wearing their own unique hat of the imagination but not everyone can see it.
A love letter to the wonders of childhood imagination and the similarities and differences between people’s imaginations in the spreads, we see people vividly engaging with those who share similar imagination hats, and a little wry humour such as the mummies dreaming of tea and the one who must have had a long day with wine!
This is a book to savour and to learn that you can never be bored if you fire up your imagination.
Millie’s Marvellous Hat by Satoshi Kitamura is published by Anderson Press and available online and from bookstores.
This sounds fun. It’s not an illustration style I’d usually be drawn to, but I do like the look of her hat.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ll admit it’s not my usual style either but the book was so joyous and bright i was then drawn into the story and the abstract inkiness worked really well with the nature of children’s imagination- it’s very different and I thought that was worth it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, it’s certainly intriguing and I do like how imaginative it sounds.
LikeLiked by 1 person