The Baby in the Hat

'An early romance' states the subtitle, a characteristically entertaining Ahlberg pun, indicating both the eventual outcome of the tale, and its format.

Together with Amstutz, Ahlberg creates a picture book which masquerades as an early nineteenth-century story of travel, adventure and love: a romance in every sense.

Falling from a window, the baby is saved by a boy walking down the street. He spends his reward on a railway trip to London, but ends up at sea, has many adventures in the Navy before, with advancement and treasure, returning home where, walking down the same street he sees a young lady at a window…

Illustrations (and even bibliographic details) are appropriately historical, lively and informative, with plenty to 'read' in them.