This Is Not My Hat
Written & Illustrated by: Jon Klassen
The hat is not mine. I just stole it.
This book is hilarious! I laugh every time I read it and so do the kids.
I think Jon Klassen does a couple of things really well in this picture book. The use of illustration to provide a differing viewpoint from the text and the facial expressions of the fish and the crab express a dialogue that is not told within the text itself. The dark colors and consistent background of the page design allow your eyes to be drawn to its subtle details ... it’s all in the eyes.
You will find yourself laughing at the little fish’s ignorance as to what is going on around him. My daughter and I have very different thoughts as to what we thought happened within “the plants that are big and tall and close together”, which is what is so clever about this book and the many other books written by Jon Klassen.
His attention to the subtle details and the design of this book are a part of what makes the illustrations so strong. If he had made the big fish only one page and you didn’t feel the size difference between big fish and little fish, it might not have been so funny or engaging. I could almost imagine what their voices might sound like, big fish being low and a little slow and little fish small, yet confident and the crab just a little nervous.
What a simple and humorous story, I definitely can see why this book is a Caldecott Award Winner. It would be a different story without the illustrations of Jon Klassen.
Pick it up and let me know what you think happened to little fish!
More About the Author & Illustrator: Jon Klassen
Buy Here: Indiebound. Amazon. Barnes and Noble.
