Bowbo's Shade-Tree

Adele Ashby was the former editor of Canadian Materials for Schools and Libraries.

A young man named Bowbo lives in Grassaland and works in the fields in the hot sun. It makes his head ache, so he tries to invent some form of portable shade. Nothing works until one day he weaves a basket that fits his head, adds a brim, and turns it upside down. His friend Pocko asks him what he calls it, and when Bowbo tries to say “head mat,” his tongue trips and it comes out “hat.” He sells his invention to the villagers, but eventually runs out of customers. Back in the fields, he trips on a rock and hurts his foot. He starts thinking about foot protection and invents sandals, which by their nature wear out after a time and have to be replaced. Sandal-making becomes a life-long occupation to be carried out under Bowbo’s favourite shade tree.

Told in the style of an old folk-tale, this light-hearted story offers both an explanation of how hats and sandals and the words that identify them came to be, with some basic market economy theory thrown in. It is accompanied by delightful full-page two-colour illustrations by Polish artist Victor Gad, who despite having been in Canada only since 1984, already has several successful books to his credit.