This is not my hat

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Klassen, Jon. 2012. THIS IS NOT MY HAT Ill. by Jon Klassen. Somerville, MA: Candlewick. ISBN 0763655996

PLOT SUMMARY

A small fish steals a hat from a very big fish. Little fish has no problem admitting as much. “This hat is not mine. I stole it.” The little fish thinks that the big fish will never notice the hat is gone and if he does, the little fish will be long gone. He thinks if he can get to the where the plants grow big and tall no one will ever find him. What he doesn’t know is that the big fish is hot on his heels. As soon as the little fish makes it to “safety”, a crab gives his location away and the big fish takes the hat back. We are left to our own imagination as to what happened to the little fish.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The story of a little fish stealing a hat from a big fish is darkly funny. A lot of the humor is not found in the text but in the accompanying illustrations. The story takes place under water therefore much of the background scenery is black. This allows for the fish’s story to take front and center. The illustrations stand out against the dark background and allows the expression of the underwater creatures to display their thoughts and feelings through body language. When the big fish notices his hat is gone, most of his expression happens in the eyes thus changing the mood of the story. In one scene we see a crab give away the location of the little fish by moving only his eyes. Movement of the creatures is shown only by little bubbles left in their wake.

The text of the story provides the second part of the humor. The little fish treats the reader as a confidante who knows the secret of his plans. The little fish narrates the story while being a very self-confident thief who thinks he is getting away while the audience who can see the pursuit of the little fish by the big fish. The little fish also tries to reconcile his actions to the audience who can already predict how this story is going to end.

I think students will love trying to predict what they think happens after the little fish after the big fish emerges from the plants. Many will think that this book might be a little dark for younger readers as you are supposed to assume that the little fish met an untimely end at the hands of the bigger fish. Older students might better understand the theme of the story: Don’t steal from bigger fish! The consequences might be severe.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

• Caldecott Medal Award
• Starred review in LIBRARY JOURNAL: “This not-to-be-missed title will delight children again and again.”
• Starred review in KIRKUS REVIEW: “Klassen combines spare text and art to deliver no small measure of laughs in another darkly comic haberdashery whodunit.”

CONNECTIONS

• If you want to lead a discussion about inferencing and prediction, this is a wonderful book
• Other books from Jon Klassen:
• Klassen, Jon. WE FOUND A HAT. ISBN 0763656003
• Klassen, Jon. I WANT MY HAT BACK. ISBN 0763655988