Summary:
A small, sneaky fish steals the hat of a bigger, sleeping fish. The small fish swims away with the stolen hat, assuming the big fish will never notice. As you make your way through the story, you progress with the small fish as he 'thinks' he succeeds in stealing the hat and getting away with it. However, that is not the case, because, unbeknownst to the small fish, the big fish (owner of the hat) is following him the whole time. The big fish is triumphant in regaining his hat in the end.
A small, sneaky fish steals the hat of a bigger, sleeping fish. The small fish swims away with the stolen hat, assuming the big fish will never notice. As you make your way through the story, you progress with the small fish as he 'thinks' he succeeds in stealing the hat and getting away with it. However, that is not the case, because, unbeknownst to the small fish, the big fish (owner of the hat) is following him the whole time. The big fish is triumphant in regaining his hat in the end.
Klassen, J. (2012). This is not my hat. Somerville, Mass.:
Candlewick Press.
Review: School
Library Journal
With this new creation, Klassen repeats the theme from I Want My Hat Back (Candlewick, 2011), but with a twist. The narrator here is the thief - a small, self-confident fish who has pilfered a little blue bowler from a big sleeping fish. He wastes no time or words in confessing his crime as he swims across the page announcing, "This hat is not mine. I just stole it." He continues his narrative with no regrets, but with a bit of rationalizing ("It was too small for him anyway.") as he swims to his hiding place, unaware that the big fish is in quiet pursuit. Readers, of course, are in on this little secret. When the two disappear into a spread filled with seaweed, the narration goes silent, and youngsters can easily surmise what happens as the big fish reemerges with the tiny blue bowler atop his head. 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.
With this new creation, Klassen repeats the theme from I Want My Hat Back (Candlewick, 2011), but with a twist. The narrator here is the thief - a small, self-confident fish who has pilfered a little blue bowler from a big sleeping fish. He wastes no time or words in confessing his crime as he swims across the page announcing, "This hat is not mine. I just stole it." He continues his narrative with no regrets, but with a bit of rationalizing ("It was too small for him anyway.") as he swims to his hiding place, unaware that the big fish is in quiet pursuit. Readers, of course, are in on this little secret. When the two disappear into a spread filled with seaweed, the narration goes silent, and youngsters can easily surmise what happens as the big fish reemerges with the tiny blue bowler atop his head. 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.
Janssen, C. (2012). This is not my hat. School Library
Journal, 58(9), 116.
My Impressions: Jon Klassen does a wonderful job of providing enough 'between-the-lines' inferences to make the story appealing and hilarious to adults while also simple enough for small children to interpret literally. The beauty of This Is Not My Hat is in that varied level of depth that can be experienced differently by each reader, no matter their age. The illustrations are clear and crisp without feeling sparse, and they create a feeling of 'bigness' as one would feel in a big body of water as a small fish. Klassen does a great job of illustrating natural consequences for unacceptable behaviors without creating an environment of harsh confrontation or fear. The balance Klassen creates in the story, both visually and verbally, is perfect and a joy to experience.
This Is Not My Hat could be used in a joint librarian/counselor lesson that introduces the idea of correct actions and natural consequences to primary students. The simple illustrations and the straightforward progression of the story provide steps for teaching cause-and-effect relationships and the impact they can have on an individual person even in cases where they think no one will know their misstep. Students could brainstorm ideas individually or in small groups about times when their actions had unexpected and unpleasant consequences. To close the lesson, students
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