When Aunt Flossie's Hats (and Crab Cakes Later) was first published in 1991, it met with an overwhelming response from readers and reviewers alike. Here was "a wonderful family story," as The Horn Book Magazine said, "set matter-of-factly in an African-American environment." Since then, the story of Sarah and Susan's Sunday afternoon with their great-great-aunt Flossie—and her many hats and stories—has become a favorite book for sharing and for initiating conversations about family history.