1980
Mr. Snowman’s Hat
January 1980


“Mr. Snowman’s Hat,” Friend, Jan. 1980, 40

Mr. Snowman’s Hat

“It’s snowing! It’s snowing!” Heather called to her mother, who looked up from feeding her little sister Beth. When Peter comes home, maybe I can go out and play in the snow with him, Heather thought.

Heather remembered last year when everyone told her she was too little to help build a snowman. But not this year! she decided. Heather eagerly looked out the window, waiting for her brother to come home.

Seeing him coming down the driveway, she opened the door. “Let’s build a snowman,” she shouted as he ran inside.

“Sounds great to me,” said Peter with a smile. “Go get your coat and boots on.”

Peter’s friends Sharon and David came over to help, but they didn’t let Heather join the fun. Even when she tried to stick a piece of coal on the head for the snowman’s eyes, Peter said, “No, Heather, you can’t reach. Let me do it.”

Dad brought Beth outside to see the snowman. “Dad, they won’t let me help,” complained Heather.

“Well, I’m sorry, dear, but it looks like the snowman’s finished.”

After supper Dad tried to explain to Peter that Heather was growing bigger every year and that he needed to include her in doing some things. And he tried to explain to Heather that other people forget sometimes when little brothers or sisters are getting old enough to play with older ones.

Heather went to bed right after supper. She listened to the wind blowing outside and watched the snowflakes swirl through the air wherever the wind took them. Soon she was fast asleep.

The next morning, Heather and Peter went to join their friends outside. They soon discovered that during the night the wind had blown the snowman’s hat away!

“Every snowman needs a hat,” Sharon said. “It’s just not a snowman without a hat.”

The children looked everywhere for the hat, but it was not in sight. “We’ll have to spread out,” said Peter. “Each one take a different direction.”

Heather thought about the snowflakes she had watched last night. Although they had made circles of all sizes as they swirled up and around, they seemed to blow mostly in one direction, toward David’s house. She headed that way. I have to find that hat! she decided. If I do, maybe Peter will see how big I am.

Heather walked for a long time. She even went past David’s house, before she saw Mr. Snowman’s hat hanging high on a limb in the oak tree.

How can I get it down? she wondered. Then she had an idea. A snowball!

Heather made a snowball and threw it at the hat. After four tries the hat fell. Heather picked it up and ran to find Peter.

Peter, Sharon, and David were back at the snowman. They were looking sad. “Maybe we could get another hat or something,” suggested David.

“We don’t have to,” Heather called as she held the hat up for them to see.

Sharon started to take the hat from Heather, but Peter stopped her. “If Heather’s big enough to find the hat, she’s big enough to put it on.”

And that’s exactly what she did!

Illustrated by Julie F. Young