Does a Ten-Gallon Hat Really Hold Ten Gallons?: And Other Questions about Fashion

Is That a Fact?

by Alison Behnke, Colin W. Thompson (Illustrator)

Brides are always all dressed in white. Cowboys were the first people to wear jeans. Wearing a hat indoors can make you go bald. You may have heard these common sayings or beliefs before. But are they really true? Can they be proven through research? Let's investigate seventeen statements about fashion and find out which ones are right, which ones are wrong, and which ones stump even the experts! Find out whether women really once wore skirts so wide they could barely walk through doors! Discover whether a dog helped invent Velcro! See if you can tell the difference between fact and fiction with Is That a Fact?

Genres: Nonfiction

40 pages, Library Binding

First published August 1, 2010

About the author

Born in Rochester, Minnesota, Alison Behnke had the great fortune to live in Rome, Italy, for three years while in grade school. Not only did this introduce her to one of the world’s best and most beautiful cities, it provided her with a wealth of writing material. Even before her Roman holiday, however, Alison always knew that she wanted to be an author. Good teachers, avid reading, and a children's librarian for a mother all fed the fire. Alison went on to take a degree in English with a focus on Creative Writing, and at present count she has written more than forty books. Alison is also a book editor, as well as a photographer. She lives in Minneapolis, and when she's not reading, writing, or editing, she spends her time on pursuits including travel, film photography, listening to Morrissey, and drinking espresso.

Reviews

[Bdalton]

This book is part of the Is that a Fact? series. It is packed with interesting information and great graphics. The author does a great job of figuring out the kinds of questions that kids are curious about and debunking myths and stereotypes. I believe that kids learn to question and think for themselves when they find books that do that well. Who knew that the inventor of Velco got his inspiration from burrs that stuck to his dog's fur? Or that Ten Gallon hats may have gotten their name from the Spanish phrase tan galan which means so gallant. (How complimentary is that?) I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun, fast read and those interested in the history of fashion.

[ramram]

This book is very interesting. I don’t really read a LOT of non fiction books but this one seemed very interesting to me. I think this is an awesome book because it tells us why something might be. Such is why something isn’t true and why; like the question, “does a ten-gallon hat really hold ten gallons?” They say it is not true and explain it isn’t true because that it probably came from a Spanish word. There are lots of things I didn’t know about but the book told me it all. The most surprised time I had was when I was reading the book and I came to the part where it said something about girls wore something that was so tight it broke their ribs. It was so strange but it was surprisingly true! I learned so much about fashion in thins book and i hope y9 do too!

[Dolly]

Parents be warned: this book discusses the ultra thin builds of supermodels and it also mentions eating disorders (with little explanation.). While I would consider most of the books in this series appropriate for elementary school-age children, the fashion and physique focus of this book is perhaps a bit mature and might be more appropriate for middle schoolers. I know that it led to a couple of slightly uncomfortable conversations with our girls, but I hope that I was able to give them enough information without freaking them out or overwhelming them.

Our girls have enjoyed bringing home many different nonfiction books from their elementary school library. The titles are interesting and the narratives, illustrations and photographs, and overall layout of the books makes them just beg to be read. The fact that many of the books have information presented on just one or two pages per topic limits the amount of detail, so the books are not boring, and children (and the adults reading with them) are bound to learn.

We've enjoyed reading the books in the You Wouldn't Want To... series as well as the Top 10 Worst... series and now our oldest has brought home this one. It appears that there are several titles in the Is That a Fact? series and I will certainly encourage our girls to bring home more.

This book has a lot of entertaining and interesting information about fashion. The book offers a glimpse into each topic and while the information about each subject is not likely enough to base a report on, it's certainly interesting and educational. We enjoyed reading this book together.

[Dotty]

Fun - loved the 10 gallon hat answer.