The Magic Hat by Mem Fox

Mem Fox has long been one of my favourite authors of children's books. The Magic Hat is a story of a hat that floated into town one day and landed on the head of a little old man and immediately turned him into a toad. It then landed on the head of a fruit seller (who juggles bananas) and turns him into a baboon. The hat, followed by a group of giggling and amazed children, lands on the heads of many different adults and turns all of them into funny animals. Finally a wizard appears and turns all of the animals back into people. When he leaves the own the magical hat sits on top of his head and presumably gets ready for its next big adventure. The text contains simple rhymes that seem to help children guess what animal might turn up next in the story and the pictures themselves are expressive enough to stand alone without any text. I enjoy using the book with older toddlers and preschool children, and it never fails to get a smile or laugh from them.