THIS IS NOT MY HAT by Jon Klassen

Bibliography

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

Plot Summary

This story is told from the point of view of a tiny fish who steals a tiny blue hat off of the head of a very large fish who appears to be deeply asleep. The little fish confidently swims away believing the big fish will not notice his hat is gone or that he will even know it was him who stole it. Unbeknownst to the tiny fish, the large fish has woken up and sets out to retrieve his hat. The tiny fish admits to stealing the hat, explains why he is not worried, and even justifies the theft by explaining how the hat was too small for the large fish, but will fit him just right. He believes he has a zero chance of getting caught, and every declaration he makes is followed by an amusing illustration that suggests otherwise. After he finally makes it to his hiding place, the large fish follows him in and reemerges wearing the tiny blue hat leaving the reader guessing what happened to the tiny fish.

Critical Analysis

The protagonist in this story, a tiny, hat stealing fish, has anthropomorphic characteristics. Throughout the story, he shows these characteristics by reassuring himself that he will not get caught and even admits that he knows it is wrong to steal. Despite this confession, he keeps the hat and continues to make his way to his hiding place in the pitch black sea.  As he narrates his progress, the illustrations tell a different story. The big fish is shown examining his hatless head.  He then squints with suspicion and makes his way to find his stolen hat. Although the illustrations are simple, the drawings of the characters' eyes are so revealing. For example, the tiny fish's eyes are shown as very wide which make him look nervous and guilty.  The bubbles and the seaweed help the reader imagine the movements of the characters, and the little red crab is hilariously shown giving away the tiny fish's location.  The last several pages have no dialogue and only show the tall seaweed followed by the big fish triumphantly returning with his little blue hat.  In the end, the tiny fish is not shown which leaves an open ending to the story.

The story is darkly humorous, because the ending leads the reader to believe the big fish probably ate the little fish. This could scare some children, but most children can probably see the humor or can make the conclusion that the tiny fish is fine. That is the beauty of the open ending. I asked my 5 year old niece to read this book aloud to her 8 year brother and 10 year old sister. They were all so intrigued by the book, and couldn't wait to see what happened next. They thought it was funny that a tiny fish would steal a hat of all things from a huge fish. At the very end, they looked at the last pages, and my 5 year old niece concluded with saying, "Haha, the big fish ate the little fish."  We all laughed, and they asked her to read it again.

Review Excerpt(s)

2013 Caldecott Medal Winner

Starred review in BOOKLIST: "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?"

Starred review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "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."

Starred review in HORN BOOK: "The eyes have it in Klassen’s latest hat book (I WANT MY HAT BACK). Klassen manages to tell almost the whole story through subtle eye movements and the tilt of seaweed and air bubbles. . . Darkly hilarious."

Starred review in KIRKUS: "Klassen combines spare text and art to deliver no small measure of laughs in another darkly comic haberdashery whodunit...Hats off!"

Starred review in PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: "Klassen excels at using pictures to tell the parts of the story his unreliable narrators omit or evade."

Connections

• This book could prompt a discussion with children about how stealing is wrong.
• Invites children to discuss what they believe happened to the tiny fish.

Related books:

• Barnett, Mac. 2012. EXTRA YARN. Ill. by Jon Klassen. New York: Baltzer & Bray. ISBN: 9780061953385
• Klassen, Jon. 2011. I WANT MY HAT BACK. Somerville, MA: Candlewick. ISBN: 0763655988