Caps for Sale facts for kids
The cover of a late edition of Caps for Sale.
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| Author | Esphyr Slobodkina |
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| Illustrator | Esphyr Slobodkina |
| Cover artist | Esphyr Slobodkina |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's literature |
| Publisher | W. R. Scott |
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Publication date
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1940 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 48 |
| ISBN | 978-0064431439 |
| OCLC | 13008528 |
Caps for Sale: A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys and Their Monkey Business is a famous children's picture book. Esphyr Slobodkina wrote and drew all the pictures for it. The book was first published in 1940 by W. R. Scott. It tells a fun story about a peddler and some clever monkeys.
Contents
What is "Caps for Sale" About?
The story of Caps for Sale comes from an old folktale. It is about a friendly cap seller. He is a street vendor who sells hats. He carries all his hats stacked high on his head.
One day, the peddler decides to take a nap under a tree. While he is sleeping, a group of monkeys sneak down. They steal all his hats, except for the one he is wearing! The monkeys then put the colorful caps on their own heads.
When the peddler wakes up, he sees his hats are gone. He tries to get the monkeys to give them back. He shakes his fist, but the monkeys just copy him. He stamps his foot, and they do the same. Nothing he tries works.
Finally, the peddler gets very frustrated. He throws his own cap on the ground in anger. Guess what the monkeys do? They copy him again! All the monkeys throw their stolen caps to the ground. The peddler quickly gathers all his hats. He stacks them back on his head and happily walks away.
Why is "Caps for Sale" So Popular?
Caps for Sale is the most famous book by Esphyr Slobodkina. More than two million copies of the book have been sold. It is a very popular book to read aloud in classrooms and at home.
The book uses a lot of repeated words and phrases. This makes it easy for young children to join in and say the lines. This interactive style helps kids feel like they are part of the story. In 1958, the book won a special prize called the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award.
Are There More "Caps for Sale" Books?
Yes, there are more books about the peddler! Esphyr Slobodkina wrote a sequel called Pezzo the Peddler and the Circus Elephant. This book came out in 1967. It was re-released in 2002 as Circus Caps for Sale.
Later, two more books were published. More Caps for Sale came out in 2015. Caps for Sale and the Mindful Monkeys was published in 2017. These newer books used pictures created from Slobodkina's original artwork.
"Caps for Sale" in Movies and Shows
The story of Caps for Sale has also been made into animated videos. In 1986, it was one of five stories on a VHS tape called Five Stories for the Very Young. This version used the original drawings from the book.
Another animated version was released in 2007. It was part of a Scholastic collection on DVD called Scholastic Storybook Treasures.
