I know Lou reviewed a Berenstain book for When We Were Little Sunday last week, but a golden photo opportunity this evening means a repeat mention is required.

The book is Old Hat, New Hat by Stan and Jan Berenstain. It was, I am told, my very favourite book as a toddler - one of those ones that I knew every word of and could tell straight away if a page was skipped (which means, of course, that I made my parents read this book over and over ad nauseum…) Although I don’t remember this experience in detail, the book held fond memories for me, and it was one of the first books I bought when I began working in a bookshop.

The book tells the story of a bear who goes hat shopping, entering a store with his ‘old hat’ and surveying a display of new hats. The shop assistant provides a range of many hats to try, and models showcase still more, but every hat has a problem.

The repetition and rhyme are great fun and as a read-aloud it lends itself to indignant tones, at an increasing pace, as the bear becomes more fussy and the shop assistant more and more exasperated. I think one reason toddlers love this book is because it allows them to imagine being able to refuse and complain as much as they like! In the end, inevitably, the bear realises that sometimes a new model can’t replace a trusty old favourite.

At dinner with my mum and dad and two sisters tonight, we were discussing Dr Seuss and Berenstein Bear books and I brought out my copy of Old Hat, New Hat. Rowan had it read to him for the first time. I think he enjoyed hearing it almost as much as I did as a toddler, but not quite as much as much as my dad enjoyed reading it again. That was, until the fourth reading, after which Rowan still called out, ‘Again!’