The Wild Hat

Book excerpt: Strange things happen in the desert when both predator and prey gather to find out who wore it best. "The Wild Hat" is a humorous, intriguing and entertaining story about wildlife and native plants of the desert. Forty-five beautifully detailed original paintings by Arizona artist Carolyn Schmitz immerse the reader in a fanciful landscape that blurs the imaginary boundaries between humans, animals and plants. When a baby javelina pauses in the shade of a prickly pear cactus, it appears to a passing raven that the piglet is wearing a hat made of a cactus pad. It isn't long before the gossipy bird has broadcast what he's just seen to everyone in the territory. Chatter among the desert dwellers gives rise to the suggestion that they hold a competition to see who can fashion the most beautiful hat. Animals that normally avoid (or eat each other), find much to share. Each hat's arrangement of flower, leaf, twig, cactus pad, berry, or bug inspires great interest and fascination. The instinct to bully, bite, sting, scratch, kick or trample has been pushed aside. Predator and prey, feeling at one with each other, remember that their common ground is the nourishment and beauty that grows out of it - their vast botanical garden once called Eden. The whimsical art of Arizona artist Carolyn Schmitz, from her Desert Dada collection, features wildlife adorned with intricately designed hats made from native plants from the desert and mountains of the Southwest. Adult readers will discover the names of many native plants while children may delight in the comical interactions of the animals as they set about building their hats for the Wild Hat Competition.