The Pink Hat

Publishing ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Women’s March, this picture book focuses on one of the most recognizable images from the demonstrations: the pink knit hat. Australian illustrator Joyner (Bear Make Den) imagines a backstory of sorts for one such hat: an older woman knits it, snaps a selfie with it, then uses it to warm her feet. The hat doesn’t remain with her for long. “It was a pink hat. A cozy pink hat. That is until...,” Joyner writes, as a cat grabs the hat and plays with it. From there, the hat makes its way to a baby, a dog, and a girl, who uses it as a boxing glove, artist’s satchel, and more before joining an enormous crowd of pink-hatted marchers, whose placards read, “Women’s rights are human rights” and “The future is feminist.” Joyner’s airy, pink-accented drawings are chic, and he wisely keeps the story’s focus on women and girls. But on the whole it reads like a lost-object tale with only a tenuous connection to the power of protest, in general, or what inspired these demonstrations in particular. Ages 4–8. Agent: Kirsten Hall, Catbird Agency. (Dec.)