Harold Loves His Woolly Hat

Harold, a stumpy bear with light amber fur and quizzical eyebrows, wears his red-and-yellow hat everywhere, “even in the summertime... even when he takes his monthly bath.” The hat, Kousky (The Blue Songbird) explains, helps Harold know that he is special—“different from all the other bears.” Then a crow flies off with it. “How will anyone know that I am a very special bear?” Harold proffers worms and berries and shiny objects to trade, which the crow promptly confiscates (“Cawcaw!”). The views of the crow flying off with Harold’s treats provide moments of drama, but despite Harold’s wee cuteness, he’s no shrinking violet. Not even the loneliness of the forest, whose tall, stately trees are painted in stark browns and grays, deters him, and he shouts at the crow in big, upper-case letters. Only when Harold climbs the crow’s tree does he discover the crucial use to which the hat has been put. What really changes things for him isn’t the discovery of his hat’s fate but the sudden appearance of companionship and a sense of feeling needed. Ages 3–7. [em]Agent: Elana Roth Parker, Laura Dail Literary. (Dec.) [/em]