Once They Were Hats: “a must-have book to take to the lake”
Ottawa Magazine has declared Once They Were Hats to be one of the four books everyone should take to the lake this summer. Their round-up story on essential cottage reading says: “Frances Backhouse’s much-praised book will tell you more than you ever imagined about beavers, from their prehistoric past as two-metre-long rodents to their popularity as hat material, their elevation as national symbol, and their huge influence in reshaping the Canadian landscape. Every true-blue cottager should study, if not memorize, Backhouse’s writings. Amaze your neighbours with beaver trivia. Surely you don’t want to discuss just septic tanks and rotting deck boards.”
