Mr Mountain is afraid of the winter snow. It makes his head very cold. He turns to Nara, a talented hat maker whose hats are worn by animals for miles around. Nara promises to help – but this turns out to be trickier than it sounds. Wool shrivels up in the rain, leaves are eaten by giraffes and the twig hat catches fire. When Nara despairs, her animal friends decide it is time to help out.
This reminds me of fables that begin with a question such as why does thunder always appear with lightning? It could be told over and over again because essentially it is timeless. It’s end will be as relevant in a hundred years time as it is now.
The animals come to life through the illustrations. At first, they are mentioned in the text mostly when they have caused trouble, but the illustrations dispute this by showing how helpful and hard working they are. This would be a lovely book for introducing discussions about livng alongside other creatures. Sometimes other animals come up against us and damage our properties – does that make them bad? When Nara gives up, it is the other animals who suggest the perfect and most natural solution.
This charmed me from the first page and I have read it numerous times. It is the perfect example of a story with one end goal and related complications. The illustratons are perfect too – the mountain is overtly brought to life as a character but the wide landscape, rich in trees and rives and wide cloudy skies, feels equally like is has a life of its own.
A charming story. This one could be read over and over and never lose its appeal.
- A Hat For Mr Mountain by Soojin Kwak is available now from Two Hoots Books (RRP. £6.99)
