A plucky girl chases her hat through a critter-filled swamp in a rhythmic adventure glowing with sun-dappled art.

Virginnie is a freckly gal who wears a wide straw hat to shade her from the southern sun. When a puff of wind sends that hat adrift in the swamp — right to the top of a sycamore tree — she braves some scary creatures to get it back! Crawdaddy craw, snickery snake, swaying gator. . . . What will she tell her mama at the end of the day? Lilting language and expressive collages paint a lush, lively picture of a determined young girl and her dauntless adventure.