WHERE’S MARY’S HAT?

Mary, a black-and-white cow with a boxy shape, no mouth, and stick legs, asks one animal after another (13 in all) if he or she has seen her hat. Each answers no and suggests trying another. From stork to elephant to kangaroo to bees, no one has seen it—until she asks bear, who declares that he hasn’t seen her hat, but look at his new kite. Kids won’t see the twist that’s coming and they’ll giggle over the look of the hat/kite: a pink, daisy-patterned, wide-brimmed doozy. Each animal sports a hat that fits the activity it’s doing: the goldfish wears a derby as it goes on vacation; the rabbit race-car driver waits at the pit stop, holding a helmet; the toucan in a beret paints at an easel; and penguins in top hats play pianos. The bulky figures have odd proportions and no mouths, with color shading extending outside the heavy black outlines. The paint-daubed effect and somewhat childlike drawings create a wacky, impressionistic style that results in an offbeat funny charm. (Picture book. 4-7)