Book Review for That's Not My Hat! by Jon Klassen

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Klassen, Jon. (2012). That’s not my hat!. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick. ISBN 978-0763655990

2. PLOT SUMMARY

In this humorous picture book, a small minnow takes a hat from a larger fish that does not belong to him. As he looks for the perfect place to hide, deep within the plants growing underwater, his plans do not quite turn out the way he hoped they would!

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Klassen successfully writes a witty story that contains simple vocabulary that provides repetition for beginning readers. The words used are easily decodable and contain three syllables at most. The plot is interesting and flows nicely. Suspense is created as the larger fish is seen periodically peeking at the minnow from behind. With that detail, readers are likely to use their prediction skills to guess what will happen next.

The illustrations created by Klassen maintain a dark hue which follows the tone of the story. The light colors of the fish contrast well with the dark background. The colors are easy on the eyes and not overly stimulating. The simplicity of the illustrations allows the reader to follow the action easily.

The word “stole” does have a negative connotation, so parents may see this book as inappropriate for young children. This story is a good example of cause and effect, and the reality of consequences for choices made.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS

Winner of the Randolph Caldecott Medal, 2013.

Review by Kirkus Review Journal: “Klassen combines spare text and art to deliver no small measure of laughs in another darkly comic haberdashery whodunit.”

Reviewed by CCBC: “Jon Klassen’s follow-up to I Want My Hat Back (Candlewick Press, 2011) offers more humorous haberdashery, this time set underwater.”

5. CONNECTIONS

* This book is a useful resource for teaching inferencing, cause and effect, and prediction. Class discussion could also include genre and character traits exhibited by the characters in the book.

* This book is also a useful resource for teaching theme with a moral that encourages class discussion. Background knowledge could be shared by students in the class.

*Other books the contain the same theme by Jon Klassen:

I Want My Hat Back – ISBN 9780763655983

We Found a Hat – ISBN 9783314103872