Follow That Hat
illustrated by Pierre Pratt
In this wonderful story, Pratt does some of his best work. The simple, slightly sardonic text relates Leon's heroic attempts to recover his favorite hat after it is whisked off his head by a gust of wind. His hat remains elusive in spite of Leon's energetic pursuit in a taxi, on his bicycle, with an express train, an ocean liner and through the Amazon rain forest. Ultimately, he does catch up to it and takes immense satisfaction tenderly placing it back on his head--until a gust of wind blows by an identical hat.
The text style is set in contrast to the richly detailed, exuberant, and expressive art work. Bold colors and slightly surrealistic images depict a series of tableaus that draw the reader into the humor and beauty of Pratt's art work.
close this panelPierre Pratt is an award-winning illustrator and author who grew up in the suburbs of Montreal. Like the work of all great illustrators, Pierre's art is truly unique: He uses a mixture of oil pastel and acrylic. Strong lines and bright colors are characteristic of his style, and command admiration. After studying graphic design in college, Pierre began his career in magazine illustration, which eventually led him to children's books. In 1992 he was the recipient of the first-ever UNICEF-Bologna Book Fair Illustrator of the Year prize.
close this panel
