Don't Touch My Hat

Title: Don't Touch My Hat

Author: James Rumford  

Illustrator: James Rumford 

Publication Date: 2007  

Genre/Format: Fiction/Picture Book  

Summary: In this story, Sheriff John keeps the peace in Sunshine with his mighty ten-gallon hat.  He doesn't want anyone to touch his hat.  One night, he's called to bring the town back to order and finds out that what's in his heart is more important than his ten-gallon hat.  

What I Think: Peanut and I had a ton of fun reading this book.  We loved yelling out, "Don't touch my hat!" And then laughing at the irony at the end of the book.  I think Peanut was a little young to understand what was going on, but I definitely think school age kids would crack up at the ending of this book while also learning the lesson that it's what's inside that counts.  The message of this book is great, but there are so many other elements of writing in this book that it can be used in so many different ways in the classroom - I think it would be a versatile buy!!!     

Read Together: K - 8  

Read Alone: 3 - 8  

Read With: How To Be a Cowboy by Bonnie Highsmith Taylor  

Snatch of Text: "Without that sweat-stiff, trail-dusted, bullet-riddled hat, Sheriff John could do nothing - or so he thought."  

Reading Strategies to Practice: Activating Background Knowledge, Making Predictions   

Writing Strategies to Practice: Compound Adjectives, Descriptive, Irony, Slang

Writing Prompts: Write about a character with a good luck charm who is able to be successful without his/her good luck charm by the end of your story.  Write about your good luck charm.  Use compound adjectives to describe an object.  

Topics Covered: West, Superstition, Luck, Courage

Translated to Spanish: No