Kathy's Hats

A Story of Hope

Plot Summary

Kathy has always enjoyed wearing hats. But when she turns nine, she learns that she has cancer. Kathy is scared, and she is especially angry when her chemotherapy treatments make her hair fall out. Suddenly hats aren't so much fun anymore; now Kathy must wear them to cover her bald head.

Awards

Pick of the Lists, American Bookseller

Reviews

"While this book is quietly straightforward about the fear and pain of a life-threatening disease, its real strength lies in its understanding of the draining indignities of chronic illness: Kathy's feeling ugly and awkward is a serious predicament, and Krisher (who writes in an afterword of her daughter's successful battle against cancer) addresses it as such. She also treats Kathy's cancer as one difficult episode of an entire life, since the book depicts a time before the cancer and ends with Kathy, her hair regrown, contemplating the promise of an after. . . . This is a matter-of-fact book about a tough time and subject, and its calm and respectful treatment well serves a story that is indeed one of hope." RECOMMEND, The Bulletin

"Without sugarcoating the ordeal, the book is upbeat, culminating in a class party for which everyone wears a favorite hat. Westcott's bright illustrations are full of life, just the right note for this sort of book. A good piece of bibliotherapy that can be used to explain what the cancer patient is going through when the situation arises in the classroom." Booklist

"It's useful to have a realistic, straightforward, and upbeat picture of a child coping with cancer and surviving it, as many do; the hats also give the story an effective unifying motif. An author's note sets the book in this context and explains that it is based on her own daughter's experience." Kirkus Reviews

"Appealing illustrations accompany the sympathetic and empathetic approach to a difficult problem."
The Horn Book Guide

Associated Keywords
cancer, sickness, disease