Book Review of
Klassen, J. (2012). This is not my hat. Candlewick Press. ISBN 9780763655990
Plot Summary
Stealing a hat that is not his, the unnamed character (a tiny fish) thinks he has gotten away without being caught. To ensure he isn’t caught, he attempts to swim away to a place where no one will find him. But little does he know….trouble is lurking just behind him.
Critical Analysis
Beautifully crafted digital and Chinese ink images, Jon Klassen creates a humorous story of a tiny fish who mischievously steals a hat from a large fish. Using eye movements from the larger fish and shifts in air bubbles, Klassen is able to subtly provide readers with additional information helping to add to the book’s humor. Modest text and large illustrations will make this book one younger readers will want to read again and again.
Review Excerpt(s)
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.—School Library Journal (starred review)
Klassen’s authorial debut, I WANT MY HAT BACK (2011), became one of the surprise picture-book hits of the year, and while it’s tempting to see this follow-up as a sequel, it’s really only related in its hat-theft theme, animal characters, deadpan humor, and a suggestively dark conclusion. . . . The simple, dramatic tension and macabre humor that’s right at a kid’s level of deviousness mesh splendidly with Klassen’s knack for tiny, telling details and knockout page turns. Who knew hat thievery was such a bottomless well?—Booklist (starred review)
Klassen excels at using pictures to tell the parts of the story his unreliable narrators omit or evade.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Klassen combines spare text and art to deliver no small measure of laughs in another darkly comic haberdashery whodunit...Hats off!—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Connections
For additional activities related to the book:
Create an underwater scene using pieces of construction paper. Be sure to add each of the characters present in the story!
Using a fish cut-out, have children create their own mischievous little fish.
Discuss with children alternate ends to the story and have them create their own ending.
Other recommended books if you liked this one:
I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen
Circle by Mac Barnett
Walter the White Crayon by Dawn Brock
No comments:
Post a Comment