Old Hat

Harbet is a shaggy dog who ventures out in the ear-flapped knitted cap his Nana has made for him. He meets a dinosaur, a big-billed bird, and a bear, all ostentatiously decked out in Carmen Miranda-style fruit-bowl hats. Oblivious to their own silly headwear, they laugh at Harbet's. "Old hat!" they chorus. Trying hard to keep up, Harbet picks out a fruit creation just like theirs ("It was low in fat, high in fiber, and could provide 80% of his daily vitamins"), but they've already moved on to hats shaped like traffic cones, and their derisive "Ha Ha's" fill up the big spreads. After the search for up-to-the-minute headgear ends in despair, the dog does something brave: "Harbet took off his hat." He's got a wonderful secret, and now the three friends are filled with envy. Readers can giggle at Gravett's sly prose and witty caricatures, but there's a lot to talk about, too. The three friends don't look mean; are they bullies? Is Harbet silly to worry, or is his anxiety easy to understand? There's more to this smart story than funny hats. Ages 4%E2%80%938. (Feb.)