Tiara's Hat Parade

by Kelly Starling Lyons, Nicole Tadgell (Illustrator)

Overview

2021 Christopher Award - Books for Young People
WSRA Children's Literature: Picture This 2021 Recommendation List
Penn GSE Graduate School of Education, The Best Books for Young Readers of 2020
Black Caucus of the American Library Association BCALA, 2020 Best of the Best Booklist
Read Across America, Picture Book of the Month March 2021

A mother-daughter story about celebrating a special fashion tradition.

Tiara has a gift for storytelling; her momma has a gift for making hats. When a new store opens that sells cheaper hats, Momma has to set her dreams aside, but Tiara has an idea for helping Momma's dreams come true again.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807579459
Publisher:	Whitman, Albert & Company
Publication date:	04/01/2020
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	529,855
Product dimensions:	8.20(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD610L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Kelly Starling Lyons grew up in Pittsburgh. She is the award-winning author of several books for children including Ellen's Broom, a Coretta Scott King illustrator award book, Hope's Gift, and One More Dino on the Floor. She lives in North Carolina.

Nicole Tadgell is the award-winning illustrator of more than twenty picture books. When she's not drawing, Nicole enjoys practicing Tai Chi and watching Doctor Who.

Editorial Reviews

2021 Christopher Award - Books for Young People
WSRA Children's Literature: Picture This 2021 Recommendation List
Penn GSE Graduate School of Education, The Best Books for Young Readers of 2020
Black Caucus of the American Library Association BCALA, 2020 Best of the Best Booklist
Read Across America, Picture Book of the Month March 2021

"With this touching story of tradition and can-do spirit, Lyons interweaves an important element of the African American experience into a well-told story...A cheerful story about a spirited girl who saves the day. What could be better than that?"—Kirkus Reviews

"Endearing…The language is inviting and warm, and the characters reminiscent of people you might know from your neighborhood or family. Tadgell's joyous, expressive watercolors bestow a fun and light-hearted quality to the story and bring Tiara's world realistically to life."—Booklist Online

From the Publisher

"Endearing…The language is inviting and warm, and the characters reminiscent of people you might know from your neighborhood or family. Tadgell's joyous, expressive watercolors bestow a fun and light-hearted quality to the story and bring Tiara’s world realistically to life."—Booklist Online

Booklist

2020-01-26
Tiara enjoys the laughter and warmth in her mother’s millinery shop, but when a store with lower-priced hats comes to town, Tiara must find a way to help her mother get her spark—and her customers—back.

“We can’t eat dreams,” Momma tells Daddy and Tiara as they pack up the hat studio and her hopes. Because she can no longer sell hats, Momma accepts a job as an art teacher at Tiara’s school, Height Elementary (a nod, perhaps, to activist Dorothy I. Height, renowned for her hats). Tiara encourages her mother to begin making hats again, but Momma is not ready to talk about or work with hats. One Friday afternoon, in an art class, however, Tiara and the other children convince Momma to allow them to make hats. When Momma helps Tiara’s friend Matti adjust hers, Tiara has an idea that just might remind Momma of the passion she had for hat-making and the joy her hats brought to so many. With this touching tale of tradition and can-do spirit, Lyons interweaves an important element of the African American experience into a well-told story. Tadgell’s illustrations are mostly pastels with punches of bright color, especially on the hats, and have a pleasant dreamlike quality.The author’s note provides background on the African American hat tradition, including a mention of Crowns, by Michael Cunningham and Craig Marberry (2000).

A cheerful story about a spirited girl who saves the day. What could be better than that? (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews