History of Caps for Sale in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: July 2, 2025

Caps for Sale is a classic children's picture book by Esphyr Slobodkina. The story revolves around a peddler who sells caps. He carries a stack of caps on his head: first his own checked cap, then a bunch of gray caps, then tan caps, then blue caps, and finally a bunch of red caps on the very top. One day, he goes for a walk to the next village, but he can't seem to sell any. He decides to take a nap under a tree. When he wakes up, all his caps are gone! He looks everywhere and finally discovers a tree full of monkeys, each wearing one of his caps. After trying to reason with them, he throws his own cap on the ground in frustration, and the monkeys imitate him, returning his caps. The peddler happily gathers his caps and continues on his way.

1940: Publication of Caps for Sale

In 1940, Esphyr Slobodkina's children's picture book, Caps for Sale, was published by W. R. Scott.

1958: Lewis Carroll Shelf Award

In 1958, Caps for Sale won a Lewis Carroll Shelf Award.

1967: Publication of Pezzo the Peddler and the Circus Elephant

In 1967, Esphyr Slobodkina published a sequel to Caps for Sale titled Pezzo the Peddler and the Circus Elephant.

1986: Caps for Sale Included in Five Stories for the Very Young

In 1986, Caps for Sale was included as one of five stories on the VHS release Five Stories for the Very Young from Weston Woods Studios, animated using illustrations from the book.

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