Stormy's Hat: Just Right for a Railroad Man

By Eric A. Kimmel

Book Overview

Stormy Kromer is an engineer who loves driving trains. But he has one problem: he can't find the right hat for a railroad man. He tries a derby, a cowboy hat, and a fireman's hat. Nothing works. Stormy tells his wife, Ida, not to worry, he'll figure out something. But Ida isn't worrying'she's thinking. If only Stormy would listen . . .Brought to life by Andrea U?Ren's colorful paintings, this spirited story is loosely based on the actual creation in 1903 of the hat still used by railroad workers today.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374372624
• ISBN13: 9780374372620
• Release Date: April 2008
• Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
• Length: 1 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 10.2" x 10.2"
• Age Range: 5 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Kindergarten to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children

Although Stormy Kromer enjoyed his job as a railroad engineer, he had a persistent problem: he could not find an appropriate hat to withstand the rather harsh and varied conditions of operating a locomotive. A light derby hat blew off, a wide cowboy hat got in the way, a paper pressman's hat caught on fire, and a heavy fireman's hat gave him a headache. Unfortunately Stormy listened only to his friends' suggestions and initially failed to notice that Ida, his wife and a skilled seamstress, had some excellent ideas for putting an end to his difficulties. Ida's ideas led her to create a new canvas hat that satisfied Stormy's criteria and became the foundation of a new business producing hats for railroad workers everywhere. This unique book, based on actual events, has a light-hearted tone but a serious set of lessons in economics about innovation, entrepreneurship, human resources, and jobs. Ida saw a need, thought creatively about how to design a product to meet that need, and together with Stormy adopted a business plan to mass-produce that item. The story also teaches children about a variety of jobs within and outside the railroad industry. Not to be lost in the mix is an important lesson about gender equality. Stormy's dismissive treatment of Ida proved counterproductive; only when he listened to her demands to be heard did the problem get resolved.