Prolific picture-book author Eric A. Kimmel teams up with illustrator Andrea U'Ren to tell the story of the Stormy Kromer cap, a type of hat invented in 1903 by Ida Kromer, the wife of train engineer George "Stormy" Kromer. As Stormy tries out one type of headwear after the other - a derby, a cowboy hat, a pressman's hat, a fireman's hat - he finds that every one has some drawback, and simply doesn't work for him, in his job setting. His wife Ida, who has been trying to get him to listen to her ideas, finally loses her temper, and in the discussion afterward, they come up with the perfect idea, based on Stormy's needs: a modified baseball cap that would stay on his head, not occlude his vision, and resist fire. The hat was so effective that soon other trainmen were asking Stormy if Ida could make them similar hats...

Although many of Kimmel's books are retellings of various folk and fairy-tales, Stormy's Hat: Just Right for a Railroad Man is an exception, presenting a fictionalized version of a true story. The Stormy Kromer cap is still used by many railroad workers today, and has also become a part of the traditional clothing worn in some regions of the United States. The version with flaps is very popular in the American Midwest, particularly in Michigan. I enjoyed the story here, which highlights both the way in which necessity is the mother of invention, and the importance of listening to the ideas of those around us. Stormy's continual dismissal of Ida's attempts to help demonstrate that when we fail to do the latter, we could be losing out on potential solutions to our problems. The accompanying artwork from U'Ren is expressive, and really captures both Stormy's distress and Ida's growing impatience. Recommended to all young train lovers, and to anyone looking for children's stories about invention, clothing (specifically, headwear), and the importance of communication. ( )

This book tells of Stormy's diffcult task at finding a hat to wear to his engineering job and how the railmans blue cap came into existence. Wether your students are into trains and things of that nature this would be a good book to share because it give insight on a little bit of history .

This is a true story about George Kromer who worked on a train that and had issues with keeping a hat on while he was working. He tried different ones, but none worked. They were too big, heavy, or not durable enough. His wife has an idea to make him the perfect hat. Her idea is successful and ahe being selling them to all the other train conductors. Her hats are still worn today by train conductors. ( )

Stormy loves trains and loves everything about them but he hates that he can;t find the perfect hat. So he goes to see all his friends who work for different occupations. Either their hat gives him a head ache, catches on fire, or blows away. He goes home to visit his wife who tries to give his advice and finally Stormy listen. She gets Stormy to close his eyes and describe the hat. His wife makes the perfect hat and years later the hat still lives on. ( )

A must for all railroad enthusiasts or engineers. Based on a true story, it tells how the railroad cap came to be. ( )