Caps for Sale

SLIS 5420
Module 2
January 25-31

Caps for Sale

By Esphyr Slobodkina

Slobodkina, Esphyr. Caps for Sale. Harper Collins Publishers,1968.
ISBN: 0060257784

Synopsis:
There is a peddler who sells caps in town. However, he does not sell caps like anyone else does because he wears them all on his head. One day, he could not sell any caps, and he didn’t have any money for lunch. The peddler went for a walk outside of town and decided to take a nap with all the caps on his head. When he awoke, all the caps, except for his own, had been stolen by mischievous monkeys. The peddler realized that the monkeys were imitating him, and he threw his cap on the ground. Then he was able to retrieve his cap from the monkeys in the trees and go back to town selling his wares.

My View of the World
This book has many nostalgic memories for me from my own childhood. This is a great book for early readers because it has suspense and comedy, but it also has a very simple plot. Children will take great delight in those mischievous monkeys and their imitation of the peddler. The drawings of the peddler with all the caps on his head will be fascinating for young readers.

Book Reviews

“From an old folk tale [the author] has fashioned this bright picture book, infusing it with a humor which seems to have sprung from her own hearty enjoyment of the troubles of a peddler with a band of monkeys. “ The New York Times

“This revised edition of the classic tale about a hat peddler and some mischievous monkeys has been slightly redesigned and enlarged.” Horn Book (Spring 2009)

In My World
In the library, I would use this with early readers in kindergarten or first grade. I would use this in a display with other books in a reading week for children’s literature and as a read aloud to be available for the teacher. It can help to teach younger children colors, counting, and animal behavior, in respect to the monkeys. It can also help younger children develop vital readings skills such as prediction.