Module 2- Caldecott Award Winners: This is Not my Hat by Jon Klassen

*Summary:

This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen is a humorous story with a slightly dark twist. The opening lines really catch the reader’s attention, “This is not my hat. I have just stolen it.” This story follows a fish who has just stolen a hat right off the head of a big fish while the big fish was sleeping. The little fish thinks he can get away with stealing the hat because he probably won’t get caught. But, eventually, the big fish find him and takes the hat back. This book has a good moral, but is simple and fun.

*Bibliography:

Klassen, J. (2012). This is not my hat. Somerville, Mass.: Candlewick Press.

*My Rating:

LOVED IT! The thing that caught my attention most in this book is the fact that the story is told from the perspective of the thief, and not the victim. The story has suspense, humor, and great art work. I loved the fact that the illustrations covered a 2 page spread, and you could get a sense of movement from the illustrations. This book is a good way to teach a moral lesson without sounding preachy. Kids will love this story! My 3-year old daughter, Emily, sure did!

*Reviews:

A tiny fish steals a blue hat from a big fish. It's a bold move, and he shows no remorse for what he has done. As he is describing his thoughts about getting away with the theft, the illustrations show he is disillusioned in his apparent success. A crab saw where the little fish escaped to, and the crab points the way to the tiny fish's hiding place. The reader is left to interpret the result of their interaction through the final wordless pages. The narrative parallels the illustrations as the reader deduces the facts of the actual theft. This story, similar to Klassen's previous tale, I Want My Hat Back (Candlewick Press, 2011), is told from the perspective of the thief. This would make a remarkable read-aloud for students to interpret the ending in various ways.

Wright, L. (2013). This Is Not My Hat. Library Media Connection, 31(4), 63.

*Uses in a library:

This book would be really fun to include for a story time. The librarian could start the story time by reading a “News Report” written about the case of the missing hat. Next, the librarian could read the book aloud and then have the kids create their own news story about the book. As a craft, the kids could use newspaper to create hats that they have decorated.