A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
My favorite fan letters from children tell me about “three hat days” they’ve had in their own lives—days that turned things around for them and gave them confidence in themselves. If you read A THREE HAT DAY aloud (and I hope that you do) you may discover another secret love story besides the one between R.R. and Isabel at the heart of the book—my love for the sound and rhythm of words. Caldecott award winning Arnold Lobel (FROG AND TOAD) liked to draw animals so when he said ‘yes’ to illustrating A THREE HAT DAY—my very first picture book for children—he warned me that he might decide to draw R.R. as a raccoon. In the end, to my great joy, he drew R.R. just as I had imagined him—a shy little mustached man with spectacles—much like Arnold himself! In the works, is A FIVE SHOE DAY, the sequel. It begins where A THREE HAT DAY leaves off: “R.R. Pottle the Fourth loved shoes.” Write to me if you’d like to read it. Or tell me about a three hat day of your own. —LGB