Huw Lewis Jones and Corey Egbert's classic cumulative tale
About Author
Huw Lewis Jones and Corey Egbert introduce Mr Norton's New Hat, their classic cumulative tale.
Huw Lewis Jones has voyaged many times to Antarctica, meeting all kinds of penguins. He is now a professor at Falmouth University teaching natural history. Huw has written books about photography, mountains, and maps, as well as penguins. He lives in Cornwall.
Corey Egbert, an illustrator based in Virginia, believes in creating imaginative and hopeful art that empowers young people to make their world better. He lives with his wife, son, and three cats in an old brick house in the Shenandoah Valley.
Interview
Huw Lewis Jones and Corey Egbert introduce Mr Norton's New Hat, their classic cumulative tale (Little Tiger)
March 2025
When Mr Norton discovers a mouse has made a house in his new hat, he decides to let it be. But when more, and more, animals find a home in his satchel, his coat...even his bath!, the frustration builds....
We spoke with author Huw Lewis Jones (the author behind the bestselling picture book, Clive Penguin) and illustrator Corey Egbert to find out more about their cumulative tale, other cumulative tales it can be compared with, and how to encourage children to build their own cumulative story.
Huw Lewis Jones and Corey Egbert's classic cumulative tale, Mr Norton's New Hat
"I liked the idea of a small thing, potentially disrupting a routine, and thinking how someone might respond to that …
with kindness or with frustration perhaps.... It's a story really about kindness. And tolerance." Huw Lewis Jones
1. Can you tell us about yourselves as a writer / illustrator, what got you started and any stand-out moments so far? Are there picture book creators who continue to inspire you?
Huw: I've always loved writing stories, ever since I was a little kid. Mostly animals and then as my career grew, writing about exploration and photography too. I love going into schools, and speaking at festivals and each new book brings all kinds of fun opportunities.
I grew up the youngest in a huge family, so lucky for me that there were always books around. My favourite picture books were by Pat Hutchins, David McKee, Anthony Browne…piles of Tintin, Asterix, and the Beano too…anything from Jill Murphy's Peace at Last, as much as the latest SuperTed or Bananaman … anything I could get my hands on, really. Helen Nicoll and Jan Pieńkowski's Meg and Mog … everything Roald Dahl of course … but it was Quentin Blake's Mister Magnolia that really was a favourite and looking back, I can definitely see it as an inspiration for this story. Tiny Tim, Helen Oxenbury's illustrated collection of poems, I still have and treasure too.
Corey: I was a quiet, introverted kid that loved to draw and read books in my bedroom. Since I can remember, Where the Wild Things Are has been one of my favorite books and in my opinion it's the best picture book ever. When I met my wife, she encouraged me to pursue my passion for drawing and storytelling as a career.
2. What happens in your new cumulative story, Mr Norton's New Hat, about a hat, a mouse and a growing collection of animals?
Huw: Well, pretty much as you've just described! One morning Mr Norton finds that a mouse has made a house in his hat. Being a kind man, he doesn't want to make a fuss and tries to go about his day. As the week develops, the visitors increase, and the story develops…
Corey: Mr Norton is a quiet and passive old gentleman who doesn't like to bother anybody. When his life starts to get overrun by animals, he bottles his frustration until it gets to a point where it explodes out of him. I can sooo relate to that!
3. What was the starting point for you for this story, and how did it develop?
Huw: The idea for this story came to me bouncing on a train up to London and number of years ago. People don't much wear formal hats to work anymore, like bowler hats and suchlike. I liked the idea of a small thing, potentially disrupting a routine, and thinking how someone might respond to that … with kindness, or with frustration perhaps. How we keep on going. It's a story really about kindness. And tolerance.
4. Have any other accumulative stories remained with you from childhood, or helped to inspire this story? Can you suggest one that would work well as a comparison to Mr Norton's New Hat?
Huw: Though it's not a typical cumulative story, Mister Magnolia is a good example of a sequence of bright scenarios as a story enfolds, beautifully illustrated. A lot of chain tales, cumulative tales, have their roots in nursery rhymes and songs. I think now of There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly … or stories about pulling up enormous turnips, gingerbread men running away or chasing after lost pancakes … or more recently Julia Donaldson's A Squash and a Squeeze. Love that.
Probably my favourite growing up was The Twelve Days of Christmas. I have a big family, lots of brothers of sisters, and we'd sing that a lot! Still do. I actually wrote my own version of that once … involving a crocodile and donuts. Many years later, it finally emerged as a real book … Croc o'Clock!
Corey: I grew up with the book 'I Know an Old Lady' by Rose Bonne. I love the simplicity and limited colors of the illustrations.
5. Corey, what drew you to illustrating this text? How did you decide on the style you would use for this picture book, and Mr Norton's look?
Corey: Mr Norton's New Hat seemed super fun, energetic and timeless. I wanted to do art that matched those moods. I took inspiration from some of my favorite mid-century illustrators like Leonard Weisgard, Adrienne Adams and Miroslav Sasek.
6. Do you have a favourite moment or spread in Mr Norton's New Hat?
Huw: The joy of a cumulative story is that the energy and momentum builds. The pages get busier and busier. There's a momentum that grows, with my using the days of the week too, and all the while Mr Norton is trying to keep his routine and his cool. I love the bathroom spread, also the very busy bed! And the final scene of the book, joyous!
Corey: For me it has to be the last spread where Mr Norton goes out for a ride with all his new friends.
7. How would you like to see Mr Norton's New Hat shared with children? What would you like them to take from Mr Norton's adventure?
Huw: It's a simple story, best I think read loud and shared. But it's also gentle. Mr Norton really is a nice sort of fellow, he is considerate and helpful too. Calm even, as the rain begins to pour, or there's a bear in his bath … but sometimes, you know, things just get a bit much! He loses his cool and almost immediately regrets it. He is alone with a cup of tea and his thoughts the following day and goes out to dig some vegetables. He begins to miss his new friends. There's a happy coming together, and a change to his routine. He has found a new kind of freedom too, I think.
Corey: Like Mr Norton, I tend to hide my feelings until I can't anymore and then they burst out of me. It sometimes surprises or even offends people that I actually care for. I think one of the lessons of this book is to be in tune with your feelings and establish boundaries in the beginning instead of waiting until you're at your wits end.
8. How would you suggest guiding a group of children to create their own cumulative story after reading Mr Norton's New Hat?
Huw: Definitely a simple what if … an animal knocked on your door, or suddenly came to stay? What if … a tiger came for tea, you know there's a good story in that! Stories often get going with change, a break from the normal. How might you respond to that? Children could imagine all kinds of different animals, experiment with rhymes and alliteration, and think through scenarios. On a different level, designing and making different hats, is always fun too!
9. Which other stories that you have written / illustrated would children who love Mr Norton's New Hat also love? And which of your other books would you also recommend for the classroom?
Huw: Well, Clive Penguin is another very simple story. Which may or may not involve some rather stylish new headgear too! Ben Sanders did the pictures. It's been lovely to see so many readers enjoying that one. Clive will have another adventure soon. I also really enjoy going into schools, sharing my love of real wildlife, doing non-fiction animal story events, building on many of my nature books - bears, wolves, and plenty of penguins. Gorillas coming soon!
And my next picture book story ... involving a rather delicious looking dodo, is another simple kind of journey tale … that takes us gradually across a rather remarkable island environment, there and back. It's brilliantly illustrated by Fred Blunt. It's my little tribute to Pat Hutchins Rosie's Walk with plenty of Chuck Jones Wile E Coyote vibes too. I loved his cartoons growing up!
Corey: I wrote and illustrated a book called If Dinosaurs Could Talk for Me about a quiet boy named Ben who draws dinosaurs to express himself. I think anyone who can relate to Mr Norton might also be able to relate to Ben. I recommend thinking about how you can express your feelings to others in honest and thoughtful ways.
10. What are your favourite creative activities / moments in your down-time? What keeps your creative light shining?
Huw: I teach by day, write by night, and go to the North Pole in my holidays. I love making books and messing about in boats. I'm also a bit of a bird nerd and being out in nature makes my heart sing. Even when it's raining or bloomin' freezing, as Clive Penguin might say.
I love to dream up new stories, so it's a full-time creative life. I really enjoy working with illustrators and encouraging others to begin stories of their own. What a gift to be a writer for children - it's the best! And definitely, going into schools keeps the light shining for me: the smiles, the energy and excitement is inspiring. Teachers do a brilliant job. It's a happy kind of chaos. As a writer, it makes you want to make more. Hopefully, I can be doing this for many years to come.
Corey: I like to take walks, do yoga and I've just started meditating. I think having a calm and clear mind opens me up to creative ideas.
Mr Norton's New Hat
