Hat Tricks with Jackie Katz
A local story teller uses her large collection of headpieces to enthrall little readers.
Katz’s Thanksgiving hat is one of her favorites. Photography courtesy of Jackie Katz
Something special happens every Thursday evening in the children’s room of the Rogers Free Library in Bristol.
Jackie Katz, known as “Mrs. Katz and Her Hats,” hosts story time at the Rogers Free Library in Bristol. Photography courtesy of Jackie Katz
That’s when Jackie Katz, known as “Mrs. Katz and Her Hats” to her littlest friends, works her magic. For a half-hour, all ages of children watch in delight as Katz reads a handful of books, switching between twenty-five to thirty silly chapeaus in the process.
An elaborate elephant hat, complete with trunk, may help illustrate an Elephant & Piggie book. Or she may pull out her ceiling-skimming piece, ten apples high, that never fails to elicit ooohs and ahhhs from the audience as she reads Ten Apples Up on Top!
She began her career in California, where she worked in elementary school libraries.
She started incorporating headpieces into her story telling sessions after buying a novelty dog hat at a Halloween store. The hat immediately caught children’s attention, especially those who struggled to sit still.
After moving to Rhode Island, Katz continued her hat-based story time tradition. Her program, “Mrs. Katz & Her Hats Story Time,” has become a regular fixture at the Rogers Free Library in Bristol. Here, sessions are offered to children, typically ages two through eight, and their guardians.
Photography courtesy of Jackie Katz
She has 331 hats in her collection, which are stored in a “hat room” her husband built in their basement. They’re based on animals, characters and seasons and rotate based on each session. The original dog hat holds a special place in her heart, but she also loves wearing comically large headpieces as well: think a train, a coral reef, a rocket ship, a bed and a Thanksgiving table with all the fixin’s.
Katz has also self-published two books about her creative story telling ways: Mrs. Katz and Her Hats, in 2023, and Mrs. Katz Lost Her Hat! in 2025, both illustrated by her friend, artist Nancy Brandley.
“My hope after every story time is that children will walk away with a smile on their face, a love of books and reading, and continue to use their imagination,” Katz says. “I want children to always be kind, curious and explore.”
