Book Review: A Hat for Ivan

A friend of mine gave me couple books and lent me a few movies after I asked for some advice regarding helping promote a love of God in our home. The movies were part of the Little Cherub series and were very good. And only 25-30 min long, which meant the boys were not sitting in front of the TV for very long. The books were a couple by Max Lucado, a Christian writer who also writes children's books. We read A Hat for Ivan this morning, and both the kids and I enjoyed it. It's about a 9 year old boy growing up in a town where everyone wears hats that illustrate what they love to do and are gifted in: baking, fishing, music, etc. Ivan's father is that hat maker. At 10 years, children are given their first hats, and Ivan is excited to get his. When he is on his way to school one day, one person after another give him a hat. The baker gives him a baking hat; the music teacher gives him a music hat; the firefighter gives him a firefighting hat, etc. Each time, "Ivan was surprised. Not happy. Not disappointed. Just surprised" and accepted the hats because he didn't want to disappoint his friends. None of the hats fit him very well and were clumsy to wear. Eventually, he was so tired from carrying and wearing all the hats and sat down, exhausted among them all. His father found him there and helped him up with a few understanding words. "I'm the hat-maker, Ivan, " he said. "I have seen what happens when people wear hats they weren't intended to wear. They feel silly. They fall down. And they get tired.... Listen, son, just because someone gives you a hat, that doesn't mean you are supposed to wear it. They mean well, but they don't know you. That's my job. I'm the hat-maker, and I'm your father.... Tell me, Ivan, what do you really love to do?"

I love how this subtly tells kids they don't have to live up to others' expectations and that, if they catch the metaphor, God knows them better than anyone else and can guide them and help them in deciding what proverbial hat to wear.