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Miss Fannie's Hat
Miss Fannie is ninety-nine years old. And very small. In fact, now that she's old, she's grown to be about the same size she was as a little girl. Now Miss Fannie's daughter takes care of Miss Fannie, instead of the other way around. Miss Fannie owns lots and lots of hats. And each hat is her favorite. But when she gives up her very favorite hat—the famous pink straw hat with roses—to help raise money in the church auction, Miss Fannie is in for a surprise. Whether you're a child or a grownup, you'll fall in love with Miss Fannie and her hats and learn wonderful truths about trust, faith, and the rewards of unselfish love.
Hardcover
First published March 1, 1993
2 people are currently reading
482 people want to read
About the author
Jan Karon
129 books2,831 followersBorn Janice Meredith Wilson in 1937, Jan Karon was raised on a farm near Lenoir, North Carolina. Karon knew at a very early age that she wanted to be a writer. She penned her first novel when she was 10 years old, the same year she won a short-story contest organized by the local high school. Karon married as a teenager and had a daughter, Candace.
At 18, Karon began working as a receptionist for a Charlotte, N.C. advertising agency. She advanced in the company after leaving samples of her writing on the desk of her boss, who eventually noticed her talent. Karon went on to have a highly successful career in the field, winning awards for ad agencies from Charlotte to San Francisco. In time, she became a creative vice president at the high-profile McKinney & Silver, in Raleigh. While there, she won the prestigious Stephen Kelly Award, with which the Magazine Publishers of America honor the year's best print campaign.
During her years in advertising, Karon kept alive her childhood ambition to be an author. At the age of 50, she left her career in advertising and moved to Blowing Rock, North Carolina, to pursue that dream. After struggling—and failing—to get a novel underway, Karon awoke one night with a mental image of an Episcopal priest walking down a village street. She grew curious about him, and started writing. Soon, Karon was publishing weekly installments about Father Tim in her local newspaper, The Blowing Rocket, which saw its circulation double as a result. "It certainly worked for Mr. Dickens", says Karon.
The Father Tim stories became Karon's first Mitford novel, At Home in Mitford. That book has since been nominated three times (1996, 1997, and 1998) for an ABBY (American Booksellers Book of the Year Award), which honors titles that bookstore owners most enjoy recommending to customers, and the only book ever nominated for three consecutive years. The fourth Mitford novel, A New Song, won both the Christy and Gold Medallion awards for outstanding contemporary fiction in 2000. A Common Life, In This Mountain, and Shepherds Abiding have also won Gold Medallion awards. Out to Canaan was the first Mitford novel to hit the New York Times bestseller list; subsequent novels have debuted on the New York Times list, often landing the #1 spot.
Karon has also published two Christmas-themed books based on the Mitford series, The Mitford Snowmen and Esther's Gift, as well as Jan Karon's Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader. Other Mitford books include Patches of Godlight: Father Tim's Favorite Quotes, a compilation of wit and wisdom, and A Continual Feast: Words of Comfort and Celebration, Collected by Father Tim. In addition, Karon has written two children's books, Miss Fannie's Hat and Jeremy: The Tale of an Honest Bunny, and an illustrated book for all ages, The Trellis and the Seed.
Karon says her character-driven work seeks to give readers a large, extended family they can call their own. Though Light From Heaven is officially the final novel in the series, there's yet another Mitford book in this prolific author. Karon urges her millions of ardent fans to look for the Mitford Bedside Companion, releasing in the Fall of 2006. "It has everything in it but the kitchen sink", says Karon.
At 18, Karon began working as a receptionist for a Charlotte, N.C. advertising agency. She advanced in the company after leaving samples of her writing on the desk of her boss, who eventually noticed her talent. Karon went on to have a highly successful career in the field, winning awards for ad agencies from Charlotte to San Francisco. In time, she became a creative vice president at the high-profile McKinney & Silver, in Raleigh. While there, she won the prestigious Stephen Kelly Award, with which the Magazine Publishers of America honor the year's best print campaign.
During her years in advertising, Karon kept alive her childhood ambition to be an author. At the age of 50, she left her career in advertising and moved to Blowing Rock, North Carolina, to pursue that dream. After struggling—and failing—to get a novel underway, Karon awoke one night with a mental image of an Episcopal priest walking down a village street. She grew curious about him, and started writing. Soon, Karon was publishing weekly installments about Father Tim in her local newspaper, The Blowing Rocket, which saw its circulation double as a result. "It certainly worked for Mr. Dickens", says Karon.
The Father Tim stories became Karon's first Mitford novel, At Home in Mitford. That book has since been nominated three times (1996, 1997, and 1998) for an ABBY (American Booksellers Book of the Year Award), which honors titles that bookstore owners most enjoy recommending to customers, and the only book ever nominated for three consecutive years. The fourth Mitford novel, A New Song, won both the Christy and Gold Medallion awards for outstanding contemporary fiction in 2000. A Common Life, In This Mountain, and Shepherds Abiding have also won Gold Medallion awards. Out to Canaan was the first Mitford novel to hit the New York Times bestseller list; subsequent novels have debuted on the New York Times list, often landing the #1 spot.
Karon has also published two Christmas-themed books based on the Mitford series, The Mitford Snowmen and Esther's Gift, as well as Jan Karon's Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader. Other Mitford books include Patches of Godlight: Father Tim's Favorite Quotes, a compilation of wit and wisdom, and A Continual Feast: Words of Comfort and Celebration, Collected by Father Tim. In addition, Karon has written two children's books, Miss Fannie's Hat and Jeremy: The Tale of an Honest Bunny, and an illustrated book for all ages, The Trellis and the Seed.
Karon says her character-driven work seeks to give readers a large, extended family they can call their own. Though Light From Heaven is officially the final novel in the series, there's yet another Mitford book in this prolific author. Karon urges her millions of ardent fans to look for the Mitford Bedside Companion, releasing in the Fall of 2006. "It has everything in it but the kitchen sink", says Karon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
February 12, 2015
This is a especially fun story about a lady and her hats. And about giving, and how good it can feel to give. I love this little story, and am so glad I decided to try some of Jan Karon's children's books!
February 14, 2017
Summary: Miss Fannie had a closet full of hats she collected throughout the year, and each one had a story behind it. But, her most favorite of all was the pink had with pink roses. Everyone admired the hat, as she wore it to Easter Sunday for the past 35 years. One day, the preacher asked Miss Fannie to donate one of her hats to the auction to raise money for the church. She had a difficult time choosing which one, but prayed about it and ultimately picked one. At the auction, her pink had with roses sold for so much they were able to patch the bell and fix the organ. On Easter Sunday, Miss Fannie went to church without a hat. To her astonishment, the church was planted with pink roses all around, commemorating Miss Fannie and her generous donation to the church.
Theme: Giving back to those less fortunate, even if it means getting rid of something you love so dearly.
Star rating: 5/5
Personal response: I am definitely biased towards this book because it ‘s in my top two favorite books I read when I was a child. (The other one is strangely about hats too!) The colors in the book stood out to me as a child, and they still do today. It’s a book about a sweet old lady who loves her hats, I mean who couldn’t help but love this book!
Recommendation: I would use this book in multiple situations. It teaches students to care for their aging family members, give back to the less fortunate, and to not take things for granted. Though this book is geared towards girls, I think that a teacher could use it for all of his or her students. The age I would recommend for this book is K-3rd graders. I think that this book has so much potential in the classroom because the themes are so strongly recommended. However, I would use caution when using it in the classroom because it talks about religion.
Theme: Giving back to those less fortunate, even if it means getting rid of something you love so dearly.
Star rating: 5/5
Personal response: I am definitely biased towards this book because it ‘s in my top two favorite books I read when I was a child. (The other one is strangely about hats too!) The colors in the book stood out to me as a child, and they still do today. It’s a book about a sweet old lady who loves her hats, I mean who couldn’t help but love this book!
Recommendation: I would use this book in multiple situations. It teaches students to care for their aging family members, give back to the less fortunate, and to not take things for granted. Though this book is geared towards girls, I think that a teacher could use it for all of his or her students. The age I would recommend for this book is K-3rd graders. I think that this book has so much potential in the classroom because the themes are so strongly recommended. However, I would use caution when using it in the classroom because it talks about religion.
April 12, 2021
I have always loved this book ever since I was young. Miss Fannie has lots and lots of hats. they all remind her of a specific time in her life. Her daughter Wanda lives with her wi=hich is interesting to see the dynamics of their relationship living together. Wanda is very kind to her mother and washes and styles her hair every Saturday. I love seeing Wanda take care of Miss Fannie. Miss Fannie is so generous and ended up giving away her favorite Easter hat to her church for an auction where it raised a whole bunch of money. On Easter, Miss Fannie ended up wearing no hat at all and her church planted roses the same colors as her hat. She would always be reminded of her generous gift. This book is a great lesson for children that they don't always need their most special toys or belongings because sometimes they are more useful to help other people.
February 23, 2014
This is a great book that shows the importance of being selfless and caring about others. It has religious themes so it probably could not be encouraged in a public school, but its themes are important even without the references to the Bible and faith.
January 30, 2016
A fantastic little book that reminds us of the proper value of things (even well-loved things) when compared with virtues like generosity, selflessness, and kindness! Makes a great Sunday School lesson!
July 16, 2009
This is my favorite childrens book.
December 2, 2013
I discovered this book three summers ago when working at a daycare centre. Loved it so much that I went online and bought a new-used copy. Someday, I hope to share it with children of my own.
September 10, 2014
Best children book ever, right Honor?
March 24, 2016
Juv Bk. 99 year old Miss Fannie gives up her favorite hat to help raise money for her church and receives an unexpected reward. Cute.
November 25, 2020
An absolute classic.
September 10, 2018
Miss Fannie loves her hats but when she is asked if she could give one to the church's raffle to raise money, how will she decide on which one to give? A sweet tale.
Ages: 6 - 9
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Ages: 6 - 9
**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it!
Visit my website!
February 13, 2023
a heartwarming christian story about a woman with a love for hats and her church community 👒
while reading i’m reminded of my great grandmother who i didn’t know well but she always looked so beautiful.
bonus sticker content at the end. also cats involved in illustrations 🐱 lots of flower content can be found here, perfect for valentine’s day 🌷
book smell meter high 📚
while reading i’m reminded of my great grandmother who i didn’t know well but she always looked so beautiful.
bonus sticker content at the end. also cats involved in illustrations 🐱 lots of flower content can be found here, perfect for valentine’s day 🌷
book smell meter high 📚
March 3, 2022
Such grace and loveliness of spirit. Miss Fannie's famed and beloved hat collection is dear to her heart, particularly her pink flowered hat for Easter. But maybe the hat can take on greater meaning to the church. This is another cozy, happy tale that helps children learn gentle sacrifice and non-material rewards.
March 6, 2019
"Miss Fannie's Hat" by Jan Karon is a wholesome novel that I think would be great to read aloud to students. It is definitely more of a challenging picture book for students to read because of the amount of words on each page. However, Miss Fannie is a lovable character and teaches kids how to value the things that belong to them. Miss Fannie also teaches students that it's okay to stand out. She wore and owned a crazy amount of different colored hats and wore them confidently overtime. Because of this, she was admired by all and everyone appreciated her and her hats. This book would also be a great book to read aloud to students because of its illustrations. The page in the book that has no words but shows Miss Fannie and all of the hats that she owns would especially appeal to children. This is a book that stuck out to me when I was a kid because I loved looking and admiring each of the hats. It's also fun for students to see all the hats and choose the ones that they most admire. Overall, I think this is a more challenging picture book for children to read independently, but some children may be at a reading level where they can handle a challenging book like this one.
Read
March 2, 2021Summary: This is a children's book about an old lady named Miss. Fannie who has several favorite hats, each of them reminds her of a special time in her life. One day her church preacher asks if she would donate one of her hats for a fundraiser. She struggles to decide which hat to donate. This is a sweet story about the blessings of selfless generosity, one that can speak to a reader at any age.
Reflection: I enjoyed reading this story about Miss Fannie and her hats and the sweet blessing she received from being generous. The author describes the relationship between Miss Fannie and her daughter in such a pure, kind way. I thought it was sweet the read about the tender love Miss Fannie's daughter has for her in her old age.
Application: This is a great story to read to an elementary classroom to teach them about generosity, kindness, selflessness, and responsibility as a child. When your parents get older, the responsibility often falls on you as the child to take care of them as they cared for you all your life. This story can teach young children about the joy that comes with that, among other lessons.
Reflection: I enjoyed reading this story about Miss Fannie and her hats and the sweet blessing she received from being generous. The author describes the relationship between Miss Fannie and her daughter in such a pure, kind way. I thought it was sweet the read about the tender love Miss Fannie's daughter has for her in her old age.
Application: This is a great story to read to an elementary classroom to teach them about generosity, kindness, selflessness, and responsibility as a child. When your parents get older, the responsibility often falls on you as the child to take care of them as they cared for you all your life. This story can teach young children about the joy that comes with that, among other lessons.
April 6, 2010
I found this one a long time ago. I used to work at a Waldenbooks in college and I was in charge of the children's section, so I got to know all sorts of children's books. Unfortunately, I didn't have kids and I wasn't a teacher...yet. So I would simply stockpile books for future occassions of having children or teaching school. This was one that I couldn't resist.
I chose to add this to my reviews because of the Easter theme towards the end of the book. Miss Fannie is a 99 year old woman. She loves hats and wears one to church every Sunday. She is well known for these hats and each hat tells a story or brings back a memory.
Close to Easter, the Pastor asks Miss Fannie to donate one of her hats to the church auction, in order to raise money for maintenance and flowers. She has a huge dilema over which hat is her favorite. My daughter loves looking at the pages of hats and trying to decide which hat would be her favorite and which she would donate.
This is an excellent story.
I chose to add this to my reviews because of the Easter theme towards the end of the book. Miss Fannie is a 99 year old woman. She loves hats and wears one to church every Sunday. She is well known for these hats and each hat tells a story or brings back a memory.
Close to Easter, the Pastor asks Miss Fannie to donate one of her hats to the church auction, in order to raise money for maintenance and flowers. She has a huge dilema over which hat is her favorite. My daughter loves looking at the pages of hats and trying to decide which hat would be her favorite and which she would donate.
This is an excellent story.
March 23, 2011
I found this book in my 3rd grade host teacher's class library. It's a great story about not only giving, but giving your best to those around you. Miss Fannie's colorful and shapely hats decorate the pages of this book and would be a great math lesson for kindergarten or maybe even 1st. Students can count how many hats they see through out the book or even try to sort them by color. There's one page in the book in which Miss Fannie has all of her hats laid out; that would make for a good page to focus on for a math lesson.
October 2, 2010
This was Isabella's very favorite book to read when she would come to visit us as a little girl. Now, Bonnie loves it. I never get tired of reading it to her. I would highly recommend it to all of you with little girls in your family and will be surprised if it doesn't end up being one of their favorites.
February 22, 2015
This book is one of my new favorite children's books. It reminded so much of some of the little old ladies I knew growing up. It also made me remember how much I love the South in the Spring. I can't wait for it to come this year! The writing, the story, and the message were also fabulous. Happy reading!
May 4, 2008
while this is a kids book i loved it. miss fannie is a lover of hats and is asked by her church to donate one for a church auction to repair some items. while my grandma wasn't a hat wearer, so much of miss fannie reminds me of how she was. i believe this will be a book i buy at some point.
November 15, 2009
I had to add this book because I love it so much. I still get choked up when I read it. I gave it to Izzie for her 3rd Baptismal B-day. These gifts are simple and have a religous base. this book fits so well. Read it and give it as a gift if you have a young one in your life.
December 29, 2017
This children's book by Jan Karon is so sweet and will give all who read it much pleasure and surprises. Miss Fannie is 99 years old and loves hats and each of her hats are her favorites. You will be taken unawares by the unexpected story that comes from Miss Fannie's Hats.
April 9, 2012
This is a wonderfully sweet book with a great message of personal history, family, service and generosity. I must admit to being a Jan Karon fan but I think anyone with a grandma or roses or a love of hats or just a penchant for a really lovely read will enjoy this book.
March 18, 2008
my mother in law gave this to my children for christmas ....a beautiful book with a great lesson...i cry every time i read it...
October 14, 2008
A really sweet book about giving. I'm a softie, so I get choked up every time. Comes with an audio CD of the author reading the book, and stickers.
September 23, 2010
Such a fun story. My little girl loved looking at all those hats!
January 23, 2012
I adored this book. The same sweet quality that doesn't do it for me in her grown up books makes me all weepy in a children's book.
February 6, 2012
I loved the pictures in this book, and the story is delightful. I really enjoyed the message behind the story. A good book for everyone, especially little girls who love to play dress-up too.
May 9, 2012
Beautiful and sweet with a fantastic message. Makes me think of my own dear grandma. This book chokes me up every time.
June 29, 2012
This is one of my granddaughters favorite stories! Miss Fannie is a hoot! Everyone should be so lucky to have someone like her in their family!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews