Miss Fannie Just as Delightful as Father Tim

Several years ago, I came across the Mitford books, Jan Karon's wonderful series about a humble preacher in a small southern town full of colorful characters. Gentle Father Tim and his beloved parishioners tickled my funny bone and touched my heart, so when I found Miss Fannie's Hat, a picture book by Karon, I had to see if it was just as enriching as her longer fiction. It is.

Miss Fannie is a feisty 99-year-old woman inspired by Karon's grandmother. She lives with her daughter, who cooks for her and keeps her company and washes her hair on Saturdays so it's soft and beautiful for church on Sunday, when she will let it peek out from under one of the many ornate hats that she's collected over the course of a lifetime. She has green hats and blue hats, feathered hats and flowered hats, silk hats and straw hats. Each is different, and each is connected to some very special memories. So when the preacher asks Miss Fannie if she would consider donating one of her hats to the auction that will fund the church's needed repairs, she has a difficult decision to make. How will she ever choose?

Karon's writing style retains a lot of the easy-going Southern charm that marks her novels. For instance:

"Don't make me much breakfast," says Miss Fannie, sitting on the sofa in her robe.

Miss Wanda tries to mind, because Miss Fannie is her mama. But she forgets, and brings her a piece of sausage, buttered toast with jelly, a scrambled egg, and a cup of herb tea.

"Oh, my! That's way too much," Miss Fannie always says. But then she goes and eats it all up.

The importance of faith, friendship and family shine through her story, not to mention a spirit of good humor, especially in the face of sacrifice. Miss Fannie loves each of her hats "like a friend," but she loves her church even more, and so the joy she finds in one complements the other rather than detracting from it.

Toni Goffe's illustrations are whimsical, and her depiction of tiny Miss Fannie, always wearing a smile with eyes crinkling behind her big round lenses, is especially enjoyable. She also goes out of her way to give a distinct flavor to each of Miss Fannie's hats, and she adds a comical touch with Miss Fannie's two cats, who aren't mentioned in the text but are always nearby and seem just as fond of the headgear as Fannie.

Miss Fannie's Hat is a lovely book about a cheerful giver and the spirit of community that helps to sustain her, and it would make a charming addition to any church library.