Mr McGee and his Hat

By Pamela Allen

Reviewed by Mia Macrossan

Generations of children have grown up enjoying the iconic picture books of Pamela Allen. Her many titles include the popular Who Sank the Boat, published in 1983 and still in print, Bertie and the Bear, Alexander’s Outing, My Cat Maisie, Fancy That!,  and Mr Archimedes’ Bath, to name just a few personal favourites, and, of course, the glorious Mr McGee series.

Her books have gathered a slew of awards including six CBCA Book of the Year Awards. Here now to delight us once again is a new Mr McGee adventure published in Pamela Allen’s 90^th year.

Mr McGee is getting ready to go and play when a strong wind blows him, his hat, his cat and his bed high up in the air. When they finally come down again, Mr McGee’s hat is mysteriously missing. He searches everywhere, has no time to play and is dejectedly getting ready for bed when…

Here are all Pamela’s trademark careful way with words, economic, simple, easily understood by children. The sentences have a rhythm and a cadence that fixes them in the memory.

Mr McGee was spinning around

up in the sky, high above ground

when the wind stopped.

Oh, the suspense, turn the page quickly! Every page is a masterclass in use of white space, expressive line art and use of colour. There is affectionate humour in every line. Mr McGee kneeling, searching in the bushes, shown from behind, is a sight once seen, never forgotten.

In a Guardian interview Pamela says: It’s a little idea for a little child. But I think it’s fun if you’re two or three. Mr McGee is imaginative. It’s nonsense. And it’s intended for the very young…

She makes an important point about parents reading to their children: The first connection very small children have with books is the voice of their parents: The voice can do all kinds of things. It can sing. It can admonish, it can create music. It can have a rhythm. And the parent is important, because they create the drama with the voice. After the voice, the child will start engaging with the pictures. And you’ve got the sharing process. So there’s a dialogue between the adult and the child, which creates a togetherness. (The Guardian)

Do find and share Mr McGee and His Hat or any other book by Pamela Allen soon, better still, make it the beginning of your own Pamela Allen collection today.

Puffin 2024

Some pictures from Pamela Allen’s archive from The Guardian