Henri's Hats: Pixar Animation Studios Artist Showcase

PreS-Gr 1—When Henri visits his grandfather, whom he calls Papa, the old man's dog runs away with Henri's hat, leading him on a chase through his grandfather's house to the attic, where he finds a trunk that is full of hats. As Henri tries on each one, he imagines himself having an adventure, from being a race car driver to taming animals in a circus. When Henri's grandfather finds him, Henri learns that all of the hats belong to Papa, who has had all of these adventures in real life. An author's note describes how Wu, an animator for Pixar and children's book illustrator, was inspired by his own father's adventures to create Henri's Hats. Wu's delightful watercolor illustrations bring this quiet story to life, with cute little jokes, such as when Henri brings his own lights and sounds with him to visit Papa. But readers may be left wishing that there was a little bit more to both Henri's and Papa's adventures. While the illustrations are gorgeous, the quiet story doesn't stand out much when there are so many other stories about imagination and hats.