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Review: A Hat for Mrs. Goldman

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A Hat for Mrs. Goldman children's picture bookBecause I have a child who is still into picture books, I love it when I find children’s books about knitting.

Luckily the publisher sent me a copy of A Hat for Mrs. Goldman: A Story about Knitting and Love by Michelle Edwards, illustrated by G. Brian Karas.

The book tells a really sweet story about Mrs. Goldman, the neighbor lady who knits hats for everyone else and ends up with a cold head herself. Sophia got her first hat from Mrs. Goldman when she was a baby, then she made pom-poms for the hats Mrs. Goldman made.

“Keeping keppies warm is our mitzvah,” says Mr.s Goldman, kissing the top of Sophia’s head. “This is your keppie, and a mitzvah is a good deed.”

Sophia notices Mrs. Goldman’s head isn’t covered because she gave away her hat, and she’s too busy knitting for everyone else to knit herself a replacement. So Sophia decides to try to knit her one, even though she’d decided when she learned to knit that “knitting is hard. And it takes too long.”

While the hat doesn’t come out exactly the way she expects, it is a precious act of love and allows Sophia to feel “her heart grow bigger and lighter, like a balloon.” Just what it’s like to make something for someone else.

This book is geared toward readers ages 4 to 8, or for anyone who loves to knit and wants to celebrate the joy in the simple act of giving. There’s also a pattern for a flat-knit hat and pom-poms included.

About the book: 40 pages, hardcover with dust jacket, published October 2016 by Random House Children’s Books. Retail price $17.99.

Have you read?

Book Review: Knitted Safari Friends – 20 Adorable Animals to Make

If you have a weakness for knitted animals wearing tiny clothes, Knitted Safari Friends by Sarah Keen is going to be very difficult to resist.

This colourful collection includes 20 safari and savannah animals to knit, including a lion, tiger, elephant, flamingo, hippo, crocodile, rhinoceros, zebra and giraffe.

And yes, many of them have their own little outfits.

The lion in purple overalls is probably enough to sell me on the whole book.

Cute Animals With Plenty of Personality

What I like about this collection is that the animals are clearly designed as characters rather than realistic wildlife models.

They are bright, friendly and a little quirky, which makes them particularly appealing as handmade gifts for children or animal-loving adults.

Looking at the sample pages, the hippo and flamingo patterns have a cheerful illustrated layout, with the finished animals shown in little safari scenes alongside the practical pattern information.

There is also plenty of variety in the shapes, which means you aren’t simply knitting the same basic body 20 times and changing the ears.

If knitted animals with interchangeable clothes are already your thing, have a look at our Knitted Wild Animal Friends book review. That collection includes elephants, giraffes, lions, tigers, zebras and other animals with an entire wardrobe of tiny knitted clothing.

Is Knitted Safari Friends Beginner Friendly?

The publisher describes the patterns as easy to follow, and the book includes a techniques section, abbreviations and knitting conversions to help you through the projects.

I would still put this more in the confident beginner to intermediate category rather than recommending it as someone’s very first knitting project.

Toy knitting usually involves shaping, joining pieces, stuffing and finishing neatly, and that finishing stage can sometimes take almost as long as the knitting itself.

Ask anyone who has ever had a finished knitted animal sitting in pieces on the craft table for three weeks waiting for its legs to be sewn on.

For knitters who are still learning the basics of toy making, our Knitted Amigurumi Animal Friends review is another useful option, with smaller animals and simple clothing pieces.

A Great Gift Knitting Book

These would make lovely handmade gifts for children, particularly if you matched the animal to their favourite safari creature.

You could also knit several of them together as a nursery display or create your own little safari collection.

The clothes and accessories add another level of fun, too. Once you’ve knitted an elephant, there is something wonderfully satisfying about then deciding what that elephant ought to wear.

Apparently this is where my crafting priorities are now.

My Take

I think Knitted Safari Friends is one of those books that you buy intending to make one project and then immediately start planning an entire knitted zoo.

The bright colours, cute facial expressions and tiny outfits give the animals loads of personality, while the variety of creatures should keep the knitting interesting.

Sarah Keen has been designing knitted toys for years, and that experience shows in the way these animals have been turned into characters rather than simply miniature versions of real wildlife.

If you enjoy toy knitting, handmade gifts or anything involving animals in overalls, this one is definitely worth a look.

Knitted Safari Friends: 20 Adorable Animals to Make is written by Sarah Keen and published by GMC Publications. It was released on April 21, 2026, with a listed RRP of $26.99.