Aunt Flossie's Hats (and Crab Cakes Later)

I enjoyed this book. It has a timeless feel to it, as many children enjoy hearing about their family history from a relative. One reason I enjoyed this book was because of Sarah and Susan, the main characters in the book. They are very believable and well developed. The expressed excitement over visiting their Great Aunt Flossie on Sunday afternoons, in order to try on her many, many hats. Her hats are symbolic , as they always have a sotry behind them and the girls love to hear those stories. I have memories as a child listening to my grandmother's stories. This book puts me right in that moment. Another reason I enjoyed this book was the illustrations. They truly enhanced the story. For example, Aunt Flossie was telling a story behind show more one of her hats, how she survived the great Baltimore fire. The pictures were painted with such clarity , the fire with dynamic colors that the reader can really put themselves in that moment. The main idea of this story is the excitement and bewilderment of young children learning about old memories and being able to make new ones. show less

I liked this book because of the engaging and historical events that take place in the plot. The book travels through the stories behind Aunt Flossie's hats. Each story behind the hat depict historical events that took place in Baltimore such as the fire on St. Paul's street that is described in the story of “the wooly, winter hat that was sort of green and still a little smoky from the night of the Great Baltimore Fire.” The illustrations enhance the story by connecting the hats Aunt Flossie's nieces are trying on to the historical event that took place when Aunt Flossie wore the hats. Having an exciting story behind each hat that is historical to Baltimore, allows young readers to be exposed to history in an engaging way. The big show more message I got from the book is to not judge a book by it's cover in that even though the hats still looked beautiful and put together, they have been through trying times and have unbelievable stories behind them, similar to how you never know what people have been through solely based off of their appearance. show less

This is a phenomenal picture book to share with students when teaching about the importance of memories, loved ones, and historical events. This book is about an aunt and two children who are interested in their aunt's hats and the stories that she has associated with each one. For every hat that the children pick out, the aunt begins telling them about the event that she went through at the time she wore that specific hat. These events range from tragic fires in Baltimore to soldiers returning home from World War 1. The illustrations within the book are drawn in a way that look old and outdated, which adds to the theme of the book and aides children when they are predicting what the book is going to be about, during a picture walk. A show more think aloud would be appropriate when reading this book to children because they could very easily make predictions, connections, and visualize. show less

I enjoyed reading this book very much because of the illustrations and writing. The illustrations aren't drawn, they are painted. They are so beautiful with bunches of colors and detail. The illustrations inside the house are my favorite. They really show the detail because of the walls. Instead of plain, one color wallpaper, the wallpaper has tiny designs that makes the painting so much more intriguing. The writing is also fantastic because of how descriptive it is. For example, the book says "Sarah and I love Aunt Flossie's House. It is crowded full of stuff and things. Books and pictures and lamps and pillows... plates and trays, and old dried flowers, and boxes and boxes and boxes of hats." The descriptive writing goes great with show more the detailed illustrations. I think the overall message of this book is to teach readers about traditions, memories, and different events that have happened in baltimore. show less

This is a great book that teaches children the importance of history, memories and family. Aunt Flossie’s two nieces come over every Sunday. Besides spending time with their aunt, they love trying on her beloved hats and hearing the stories behind them. Aunt Flossie has a memory connected to every hat. Whether is be a historical event, a holiday, or a funny memory each hat comes with a rich story. This is a great book to use for a think aloud. Students can make predictions, personal connections and visualizations. This is a great book to read allowed to 1-3 grade and can be read independently 4-6 grade.

I liked this book because it talks about historical things that happen in Baltimore. Aunt Flossie’s nieces love to pick out Aunt Flossie’s hats, try them on and then hear the story that goes with the hat. For example, “the wooly, winter hat that was sort of green and still a little smoky from the night of the Great Baltimore Fire.” Aunt Flossie goes on to explain what happen that night. How the fire engines were racing down St. Paul Street with horses’ hooves clattering, bells and whistles screaming, and smoke everywhere. The story continues and the last hat has a story that the girls are actually a part of. Aunt Flossie’s Hat is a great story that shows the importance of family histories, traditions, and relationships.
The show more writing in this story keep you interested and wanting to know what the story was going to be for each hat the girls picked. Aunt Flossie’s telling of the stories was descriptive and clear. It allowed for easy understanding of the historical event for the reader without boring them with details. “The Great War is over! The Great was over! “ “I made that hat,” Aunt Flossie said, “to wear to the big parade.” This is how she begins to tell the story of the end of World War 11. But because this book is written from the point of view of the niece the writing is simple.
Throughout the story by listening to the girls’ conversation and looking at the illustrations the reader develops a sense of Aunt Flossie. She is their favorite aunt and they love her house because of all the things and especially her hats. She is the family matriarch. This comes through not only through the stories but because they visit her every Sunday and they go to dinner for crab cakes together each week. The last story includes the girls on the way to Sunday dinner and Aunt Flossie’s hat blows off and is rescued by a young boy and his dog. Aunt Flossie is a person everyone would like to have in his or her family.
The illustrations give the reader a taste of Baltimore. You can see the infamous row houses that Baltimore is famous for in the very first illustration. Then you can see the Bromoseltzer Tower during the scene of the great fire. OF course, the drawing of the steamed crab make the readers feel right at home in Baltimore. The drawings of Aunt Flossie show her as a warm and loving person that anyone would love.
This book was interesting. It was entertaining with a twist of history thrown in. This book could be used for family traditions, Baltimore history, or storytelling. show less

This book is at first glance, is a book about a girl's relationship with her aunt who lives in Baltimore but later is seen to be a historical book about the Baltimore City fire in 1905. Each of Aunt Flossie's hats, tell a story so this acts a historical book as well with real life historical events. This book is not only relatable as an aunt and niece relationship but also explains the historical events of Baltimore for children that did not live in that time period. This book is developmentally appropriate for grades 4 and 5 since the details are more vivid and the events of the past are harder to grasp