Shall I Knit You a Hat?: A Christmas Yarn

Reviewed by Patty Inglish A severe winter blizzard is coming for Christmas and it alarms the rabbit family to hear it on the TV nightly news. Mother Rabbit asks Little Rabbit if he would appreciate a hand-knit hat, and he agrees that it would be a wonderful gift for him. After receiving his warm and delightful gift, Little Rabbit suggests that all of their friends need hats as well. Mother Rabbit and Little Rabbit use their creativity to make practical warm gifts for all of their friends to protect them from the storm. They take the Little Rabbit designer hats to town on a sled and distribute them to the other citizens. The townsfolk look doubtfully in the mirror as they don the hats and caps, but thank the Rabbits anyway. When the snow begins to fly, Horse appreciates his blanket hat and Goose comes to love her neck-wrapping hat, while Deer sees the utility of his lovely antler-covering hat. Sophisticated cat falls in love with hers as well - it makes her look like a lion - and the townsfolk rush after the Rabbits to express profuse thanks. Back at their home hutch in the storm, the Rabbits have forgotten gifts for each other, but they are happy to have given freely of Little Rabbit's ideas and Mother rabbit's wool, and they celebrate Christmas with a nice warm carrot cake in front of the fire. If everyone gave something lovely and warm to someone else, no one would want for anything in the storm. Shall I Knit You a Hat? is a warm and colorful story for children, families, and adults during the holiday season. The story is enchanting and the illustrations are colorful whimsy that is very engaging. With a complete Rabbit hat pattern for infant through age 3 years included, needle artists will particularly love it. Armchair Interviews says: Special book for the holiday.

I was pleased by this book on two counts. As a knitter I loved the creative and fanciful designs of mother rabbit's hats. I could totally relate to her knitting frenzy during the Christmas holiday. Secondly, as a mother of three children, I was surprised at how enthralled my children were by the simple story. Well, my 10 year old son (Harry Potter fan that he is) was a little bored by the charming story, but both my 8 yo daughter and 6 yr old son loved the book and fought over who got to look at the pictures after I was finished reading the book out loud. They especially liked trying to figure out which hat was going to which animal when mother rabbit was knitting them. The illustrations are especially captivating and full of detail. Altogether I loved this book and it is sure to be a year-round favorite, not just at Christmas!

I received this book today and I was not disappointed. It's a lovely sweet story with an 'it's better to give than to receive moral'. The illustrations are beautiful and unusual. I know this will be a favourite in our Christmas collection. A must have.

[This review was first published in the "Ephrata (Pa.) Review."] A blizzard is blowing in but Little Rabbit is ready. His mother has knit him a cozy hat. Little Rabbit worries about his friends, however. He suggests they should receive hats for Christmas too, an idea Mother Rabbit seconds. Little Rabbit designs headgear appropriate to horse, goose, cat, dog, squirrel and deer. The friends aren't sure what to make of the quirky hats--until they see just how toasty the custom designs keep them. This snug story of friendship and mother-child love encapsulates the Christmas message that giving begets joy.

Mother Rabbit decides to knit a wonderful winter hat for Little Rabbit to protect his long ears from the frosty cold weather, and to keep them nice and cozy. Little Rabbit adores the hat, and decides that it would be the perfect Christmas gift for all of their animal friends. After all, it would come in very handy for the horrible winter storms, and it's a present that would be cherished by all of them for years and years to come. Mother Rabbit thinks that this is a lovely idea, so, with the help of Little Rabbit, and his intrepid designs, and vivid imagination, she begins knitting, and has soon created wonderful gifts for everyone she and Little Rabbit know. Kate Klise is known for her wonderful writing, and SHALL I KNIT YOU A HAT? is no exception. While it doesn't contain the normal page count of her many novels for middle readers, it contains a very enjoyable story, filled with adorable prose, and a wonderful message of thinking of others around the holiday season, that will be loved by young readers the world over, whether they are reading it at Christmastime, or in the middle of the summer. And, as usual, M. Sarah Klise, who is known for her descriptive illustrations has created a splendid collection of colorful, and vivid illustrations that will capture the heart of even the biggest grinch. If you are only purchasing one holiday children's book this year for your family, this is the one to get, as the whole family will be thrilled at the prospect of reading it together. Erika Sorocco Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper