The Elf's Hat

by Brigitte Weninger, John Alfred Rowe (Illustrator)

An elf drops his hat on the forest floor. Along comes a frog who decides the cap will make a fine house. Before long a mouse joins him, and soon animals big and small move in too and make themselves at home. There is just enough room for everyone--until the last, teeny-weeny creature comes along. Then, watch out! John A. Rowe's exuberant illustrations add an extra measure of humor to Brigitte Weninger's spirited adaptation of a classic cumulative tale from Russia.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Storytime

36 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2000

Reviews

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very similar story to Jan Brett's The Mitten, as more and more animals keep crowding into the hat, until a flea enters in, sending the others scampering off.

[Marfita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can't imagine why I never read this. It's a variation on the story of the mitten, where more and larger animals snuggle into a soft covering until the last but least causes them all to abandon their shelter. There's not a lot new you can do with this story, but Weninger has them reject their last visitor because he is a flea. The flea, however, gets to keep his new-found home even after the cap is recovered by the elf.
The illustrations lure me back again and again. Rowe provides us with a combination of the natural (by including the spoor of each visitor) and the fanciful. Snails literally have houses on their backs. With smoke coming out. He also often plays with the medium as when hedgehog's quills seem to poke out through the blank frame around the main illustration.
This is a story, however simple, that can keep a reader coming back to the whimsical (oh, how I hate that word) surprises. Charming.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story, but it's been done to death. I think stories like this are a preschool staple, though, and kids in that age range seen to like them for the numerous cute animals presented, and for the highly predictable inevitable ending that they can anticipate with a knowing, barely contained glee.

I teetered between two and three stars for this. As I mentioned, this is an overdone story. On the other hand, the illustrations in this are really rather pretty and complex. As far as this particular manifestation of this story goes, I suppose it's a good one.

[Dominique Woodbridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is great for young children ages pre-k to kindergarden. This Russian tale is a cumulative tale, and that is why children will like it so much. The story is easy to follow along to and never slows down. I would use this book to read aloud in class. I think young children would find this book funny, with all of the different animals trying to squeeze into an Elf's Hat. This story could be used to teach kids what a cumulative folk tale is. I think this book would be a perfect example because it is easy to tell that the animals accumulate. A literary element that could be taught with this story is plot. I would teach plot because this story is easy to follow along to, and the plot continues to build until the end of the story. This book is a Russian tale, but I think it can be similar to tales from the United States. The animals are all common, the only thing that is different is an elf. However, I still think an elf can be a common character in english tales.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great illustrations, fun to read, and more interesting than The Mitten (I am sorry to say). A gnome loses his hat, and animals cram themselves inside, until a tiny flea comes and they all run home. The meter and alliteration of this make it really fun (the flea is named 'Klimperklein' and asks if he can 'bitte auch noch rein?', for example). Eleanor loves to hear it.

[Elke Ursin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very cute story!

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is adorable! It reminds me of the mitten only not so wintery and there's an elf. It would make a fantastic flannel board story!