Tandy and her father make the twenty-five-mile trek into Meridien City to buy a very special Easter hat for Tandy's mother, Miz Fannie Mae, in this engaging holiday story. After much debate at the milliner's shop, the pair finally settle on a gorgeous creation that is overflowing on top with flowers, fruit, and four little eggs. After her initial reluctance to wear such a costly hat is overcome, Fannie Mae attends Easter services in her new finery, only to discover that she is carrying around a little miracle on her head, when the eggs begin to hatch.

Apparently based upon a family story passed on to author Melissa Milich by her godmother, Miz Fannie Mae's Fine New Easter Hat presents an unlikely tale that somehow feels appropriate at this time of the year. Although I did think the text was occasionally a little bit wordier than it needed to be, I enjoyed the story all the same, and found the characters (especially Tandy's father) appealing. There is a sense of family love and community warmth that is captured here, and that made me smile while I was reading. The watercolor artwork by Yong Chen, who also worked on the beautiful Chinese New Year story, A Gift, is lovely, complementing the story nicely. Recommended to young readers looking for fun Easter-time stories, especially if they want selections featuring the African-American community. ( )

Miz Fannie Mae’s Fine New Easter Hat is about a girl whose father takes her to buy her mother a new hat for Easter. They find the perfect hat that has flowers, netting, and four speckled eggs on top of it. Her mother loves the hat. The mother wears it to church on Easter morning and right in the middle of the sermon, the four speckled eggs hatch right on top of her head.

I think it’s a cute story. You can tell it is set in the past because she tells about the horse and the wagon they ride into the town to buy the hat.

Something you could do with your children or students is bring in some hats, netting, flowers, and of course fake eggs so they can make their own hats. It would also be good to read around Easter. ( )