"This right royal, rhyming picture book explores being brave and finding your own way through the example of King Charles III"
Less a case of having big shoes to fill, and more about the weight of bearing the royal crown on one’s head, Sheila May Bird’s The King's Hats is a bright and breezy picture book that strikes a balance between playfulness and exploring the worries of not living up to expectations.
“The King put on his heavy crown/It felt so hot and tight/His dear Mama had worn it well/On her it looked just right”. Such is the troublesome situation newly crowned King Charles III finds himself in. When his wife advises, “Do not worry, dear/I know your job is new/but go and find your Happy Place/and work out what to do” King Charles heads straight to his beloved garden, where his old friend Tom the gardener sagely points out that King Charles will be required to wear all kinds of hats in the course of his duties, among them hard hats, surgical hats, parade hats and party hats! Of course, as Tom also points out, “sometimes you must wear your crown/And you will smile and wave/Your crown is very heavy/But remember…kings are brave”.
With a great-to-read-aloud rhyming text, and Mark Beech’s characterful illustrations adding to the warm-hearted vibe (they really are spot-on in terms of facial expression and detail), The King's Hats explores being brave and finding courage through a majestically fun story.
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