Mister Momboo's Hat

Mr. Momboo is a dapper, mustachioed elephant and his ``very fine hat'' is a blue fedora. As Mr. Momboo steps jauntily out his door one day, briefcase and umbrella in hand, a breeze snatches the hat from his head and sends it sailing. A simple rhyme describes the uses given the hat by the animals that find it: the hat becomes headgear for a hobo, a horse and a scarecrow; and is made into a toy, a boat and, finally, a bird's nest--right outside a delighted Mr. Momboo's door. Bassett's watercolor settings--streets, fields, streams--are lively and inviting, but her animal characters, particularly when depicted in action, are rather stiff. Ages 2-5. (Jan.)