19 Jan / Mr. Brown’s Fantastic Hat by Ayano Imai
Mr. Brown is a bit of a curmudgeonly dandy. He’s friendless on purpose, but he makes sure he looks good when he goes out. In spite of his protests, the truth is something else entirely: ” … secretly Mr. Brown was very lonely.”
“One day” – those two words always seem to conjure the unlimited possibility of any time, anywhere – Mr. Brown wakes from a tree-branch nap to find unexpected company. Not only has a woodpecker decided Mr. Brown’s “smart hat” is the perfect location for a new home, but he’s also invited all his friends to move in. Mr. Brown is not particularly thrilled: “He didn’t like anybody coming near him.”
Mr. Brown’s shouts to stop go unheeded, and his hat too soon becomes an unexpected aviary: “As more and more birds arrived, the hat grew taller and taller.” Mr. Brown is forced to adjust, and even begins to enjoy the companionship: “His life certainly was not dull any longer.” He even inspires a new fashion trend among the locals.
And then autumn comes … and his flying friends seem to have disappeared. Mr. Brown tries not to mind: “‘I don’t care where they have gone, really I don’t,'” and yet he still takes care to feed them, “just in case.” Waiting, worrying, he falls deep into his hibernation … until one morning, he wakes to the sound of knocking …
The latest from author/illustrator Ayano Imai – British-born, all-over-the-world-raised, currently Japan-based – is an effervescent, heart-gladdening tale about the inexplicable, yet very real transformative power of friendship. The give-and-take, caring-and-sharing between Mr. Bear and his hatted companions celebrate how magic can and will happen.
Published some six months apart in 2014, Mr. Brown shares notable overlaps with another exquisite picture book, Marianne Dubuc’s The Lion and the Bird. Both make for perfect companion titles … double the blessings of friendship indeed.
Readers: Children
Published: 2014 (United States)