BIBLIOGRAPHY
Klassen, Jon. 2012. This Is Not My Hat. Massachusetts: Candlewick Press. ISBN 978-0-7636-5599-0.
PLOT SUMMARY
PLOT SUMMARY
This is the story of a small fish who steals a hat from a large fish. The small fish thinks he is sneaky and will be able to swim away and hide without the large fish realizing what happened. The large fish, however, is much more observant than he is given credit for. He subsequently follows the small fish and takes back his hat.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Jon Klassen has created an entertaining and memorable story. The story is told from the perspective of the small fish. He is an overly confident character who believes he will "probably" get away with his crime of stealing the large fish's hat. The small fish takes the reader on his journey of taking the hat and his ensuing escape through the ocean to the tall plants. Throughout the story, the small fish is oblivious to the fact that he is being pursued by the large fish. Klassen uses repetition in his narrative by using the word "probably" again and again. This proves to demonstrate the confidence of the small fish in his thieving abilities. In fact, if the reader only read the words and paid no attention to the illustrations, he/she would believe that the small fish was successful in his escape.
The true magic in this book is in the illustrations. The illustrations tell a completely different story than the narrative of the small fish. They depict the large fish awakening and realizing immediately that his hat is missing. He then takes off after the small fish and ultimately reclaims his hat. Klassen uses primarily blacks and grays as his main color scheme. The blue hat and red crab provide the only bursts of color, which I believe help demonstrate their importance. The blue hat is the object that was stolen, and the red crab points the large fish in the direction of the small fish (although the small fish believes the crab will not tell anyone where he went).
It is important to note that the last several pages of this book have only illustrations. The conclusion of the story is played out through the pictures, meaning the reader has to "read" the pictures in order to find out what happens. Klassen humorously ends his story with an illustration of the large fish wearing his tiny blue hat, looking extremely self-satisfied. The hat does indeed look ridiculous on him, and the reader comes to appreciate why the small fish took it in the first place. It also leaves the reader to wonder what became of the small fish?
Personally, I find this to be an exceptional book. I was first introduced to it several months ago when my first grader brought it home from her school's library. I really enjoyed reading the small fish's tale, while watching the large fish's own story play out. My children found this to be a hilarious book and were quick to explain what was happening in the pictures. They especially loved telling me what was happening at the end of the story, when there isn't any text. In response to this book, my 6 year old daughter said, "This book is so funny. Whatever the little fish says won't happen, ends up happening right away!" My 4 year old son's take on the book was, "I don't know why the fish took the hat, but it was really funny." This book has become a favorite in my house!
REVIEW EXCERPTS
The true magic in this book is in the illustrations. The illustrations tell a completely different story than the narrative of the small fish. They depict the large fish awakening and realizing immediately that his hat is missing. He then takes off after the small fish and ultimately reclaims his hat. Klassen uses primarily blacks and grays as his main color scheme. The blue hat and red crab provide the only bursts of color, which I believe help demonstrate their importance. The blue hat is the object that was stolen, and the red crab points the large fish in the direction of the small fish (although the small fish believes the crab will not tell anyone where he went).
It is important to note that the last several pages of this book have only illustrations. The conclusion of the story is played out through the pictures, meaning the reader has to "read" the pictures in order to find out what happens. Klassen humorously ends his story with an illustration of the large fish wearing his tiny blue hat, looking extremely self-satisfied. The hat does indeed look ridiculous on him, and the reader comes to appreciate why the small fish took it in the first place. It also leaves the reader to wonder what became of the small fish?
Personally, I find this to be an exceptional book. I was first introduced to it several months ago when my first grader brought it home from her school's library. I really enjoyed reading the small fish's tale, while watching the large fish's own story play out. My children found this to be a hilarious book and were quick to explain what was happening in the pictures. They especially loved telling me what was happening at the end of the story, when there isn't any text. In response to this book, my 6 year old daughter said, "This book is so funny. Whatever the little fish says won't happen, ends up happening right away!" My 4 year old son's take on the book was, "I don't know why the fish took the hat, but it was really funny." This book has become a favorite in my house!
REVIEW EXCERPTS
2013 Caldecott Medal
2014 Kate Greenaway Medal
Winner of Amazon Best Picture Books of 2012
From KIRKUS REVIEWS - "Klassen combines spare text and art to deliver no small measure of laughs in another darkly comic haberdashery whodunit...Hats off!
From SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL - "Simplicity is key in both text and illustrations. The black underwater provides the perfect background for the mostly gray-toned fish and seaweed while the monochromatic palette strips the artwork down to essential, yet exquisite design. Movement is indicated with a trail of small white bubbles. This not-to-be-missed title will delight children again and again."
From PUBLISHERS WEEKLY - "Klassen excels at using pictures to tell the parts of the story his unreliable narrators omit or evade."
CONNECTIONS
2014 Kate Greenaway Medal
Winner of Amazon Best Picture Books of 2012
From KIRKUS REVIEWS - "Klassen combines spare text and art to deliver no small measure of laughs in another darkly comic haberdashery whodunit...Hats off!
From SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL - "Simplicity is key in both text and illustrations. The black underwater provides the perfect background for the mostly gray-toned fish and seaweed while the monochromatic palette strips the artwork down to essential, yet exquisite design. Movement is indicated with a trail of small white bubbles. This not-to-be-missed title will delight children again and again."
From PUBLISHERS WEEKLY - "Klassen excels at using pictures to tell the parts of the story his unreliable narrators omit or evade."
CONNECTIONS
Read I Want My Hat Back. Find similarities and differences between the two books.
Act out the story, with volunteers taking the parts of the small fish, the large fish, and the crab.
- Klassen, Jon. I Want My Hat Back. ISBN 0763655988
Act out the story, with volunteers taking the parts of the small fish, the large fish, and the crab.
Have a discussion about what happened to the small fish. Did he get away? Was he eaten by the large fish?
Create captions or thought bubbles for the illustrations in the story.
Research different types of fish, and write a report on one.
Have a discussion about why it is wrong to steal. How does it make you feel?
Design a new hat for the small fish, so he won't need to steal another one. Think about what types of materials you would use.
Create captions or thought bubbles for the illustrations in the story.
Research different types of fish, and write a report on one.
Have a discussion about why it is wrong to steal. How does it make you feel?
Design a new hat for the small fish, so he won't need to steal another one. Think about what types of materials you would use.
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