Hats Off for the Fourth of July!

by Harriet Ziefert, Gustaf Miller (Illustrator)

Spectators in Chatham wait to see what will come next as they watch the town's Fourth of July parade, and although they are sad when it is over, they still have one more treat waiting for them. Reprint.

Genres: Picture Books, Holiday, Storytime, Childrens

26 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2000

About the author

Harriet Ziefert grew up in North Bergen, New Jersey, where she attended the local schools. She graduated from Smith College, then received a Masters degree in Education from New York University.

For many years, Ziefert was an elementary school teacher. She taught most grades from kindergarten to fifth grade. "I liked it," she said, but she stopped teaching when she had her own sons. When her children were older, Ziefert wanted "a bigger arena" for her work. She went to work at a publishing company, Scholastic in New York City, developing materials for teacher's guides for kindergarten language arts and social studies programs.

"About twelve years ago," says Ziefert in a 1995 interview, "I tried to get a job as an editor, but no one would hire me as a trade editor. So I decided to write my own books." Since then, she has written several hundred books, mostly picture books and easy-to-read books. "I write books very quickly," she says, "in about twelve hours. I rewrite them three times over three days, and then they're done." She writes about twenty books a year.

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 2 out of 5]

First of all - this should be titled Here Comes the Big Parade because it's about a PARADE. The last page features some fireworks; otherwise this could be any summer day. The rhyme is clunky, the artwork, merely serviceable.

Sorry, but I guess the false advertising in the title has put me in a bad mood.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

With rhyming text and colorful artwork, author Harriet Ziefert and illustrator Gustaf Miller chronicle the annual Fourth of July parade in the small town of Chatham in this picture-book for younger children. The narrative describes the various marchers and floats that pass by - Miss Eelgrass's mermaid float is the town favorite - and the book concludes with a plane writing 'Happy 4th' in the sky...

Although I wouldn't describe Hats Off for the Fourth of July! as a particularly memorable or outstanding picture-book, it's serviceable enough, and with its rhyming text would no doubt make an entertaining read-aloud for a 4th of July story-time. It doesn't address the meaning or history of the holiday, but rather, one of the time-honored traditions associated with it, in many small towns across America. This year (2020) it looks like that tradition has been put on hold in many places, which is a shame, but we can only live in hope for nest year. Recommended to picture-book readers looking for Fourth of July tales for younger children.

[Christie At The Library · Rating 2 out of 5]

We used this book at our library for a special Forth of July themed story time visit with our local state park. Campers of all ages really enjoyed being able to find all the different people and animals hidden in the colorful and diverse pages, and they rhythm of the story made it an easy read. However, I do think, for me, the story could have been a little bit more engaging. This one might work better for a one on one read than for a group story time.

[Taylor Maiese · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how this book has everyone excited for the big fourth of July parade! I feel like this is something everyone looks forward to every summer. It is the celebration of America getting our freedom from Great Britain and we celebrate with parades and fireworks. I love that this book and the illustrations interpret that. This is a very cute book celebrating one of my favorite holidays.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rhyming story of what comes next in each part of the Fourth of July parade in Chatham, Massachusetts on Cape Cod. What follows the twirlers, cowboys and whale float?

"Music and drum... music and drum. Who will be the next to come?"

Cheerful energetic illustrations with bold colors are a fun reflection of the excitement of the day.

[Braley Hale · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about the fourth of July. It takes place at a parade. I like the rhyming and repetition in this book. I also really enjoyed the illustrations because they were colorful and appealing to the eye. Therefore, this a great book to read for a fourth of July theme.

[Beret Brenckman · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Music and drum...music and drum."
"Who will be the next to come?"

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice simple read and was very sweet. The illustrations were brightly colored.

[Emily's Storytime Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a nice book about parades, but I wish it had talked more specifically about the Fourth of July. I'm sure I could have found others, but I was on a tight schedule when it came to getting a book for Storytime. Also, the art wasn't my favorite.

I think this works better for a bit of an older group rather than younger. The older ones in my Storytime group interacted more and the younger ones seemed very "eh" about it. It does allow for a lot of interacting throughout the story, though, which is really nice. I like that in a book.

[Kyle Greenberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hats off for the Fourth of July is a book that could be used to introduce the national holiday. Students could learn about what a 4th of July parade is like and what happens when it is over, which is fireworks. Teachers could also use this book to teach students about sequence of events and historical fiction, as it relates to the real life national holiday.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this one up because it was sitting next to something I wanted at the library and I thought, "Why not?" I don't see a lot of books about Independence Day and this was just light and easy to read that might be good for fun on the holiday. It has a recurring scaffold at the beginning that begins to change slightly as you move through the story. Nice book for young audiences.

[Judith · Rating 5 out of 5]

We loved this book! It's very rhythmic, so I bounced my knee as he sat on my lap, and I read it with a beat, adding a "music & drum" or "boom ... boom" to fill in the beats while I turned each page.

My only caveat (why does every book have one?) is that Miss Eelgrass (featured mermaid on float) is not dressed too modestly.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both of my storytime groups loved it!

[Nichole]

This is a big hit with Connie thanks to the motorcycles.

[Naomi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mediocre. There was nothing that stood out about this book. Text was "rhyming" with some repetitiveness, but there was really no warmth to this book at all.

[Judy Carey Nevin]

This was a package from a packager--I had input on the content of the text, mostly.

[Teri · Rating 1 out of 5]

BLAH