grade level: prek-kindergarten

A resourceful chicken enlists her farm friends to get a coveted hat from Scarecrow.

Chicken has her eye on Scarecrow's hat in this charming cumulative story featuring a series of exchanges. When Scarecrow declares he would trade his hat for a walking stick, Chicken sets out to find it, only to discover that Badger, who possesses such a stick, longs for a ribbon. So it goes, as Chicken hunts down the possessor of each longed-for item, effecting a series of trades that eventually gets everyone what they want...

I initially sought out The Scarecrow's Hat because I saw it on a list of autumn picture-books, but I found it more enjoyable as an example of its story type, than as a seasonal read. This kind of tale, in which the protagonist effects a series of exchanges in order to get what he wants, is quite common - think Elsa Beskow's Pelle's New Suit, for instance - and this is an entertaining example. The narrative is repetitive but engaging, and the accompanying artwork colorful and appealing. Recommended to picture-book readers looking for entertaining exchange/bargaining stories. ( )

Chicken shows us how to think through a problem and begins to swap one thing for another, until mission is accomplished.

Chicken really admires Scarecrow's hat. Scarecrow would gladly trade his hat for a walking stick to rest his tired arms. Chicken doesn't have a walking stick to trade, but she knows someone who does. Thus begins her quest to find items to trade among her farm friends, all to obtain a walking stick to swap for Scarecrow's hat. But why does Chicken want an old straw hat?