"This Is Not My Hat" by Jon Klassen (a Caldecott Award winner) is a simple picture book with lots and lots to talk about. Kids love the text and illustrations, both of which encourage them to think about what will happen next.
Predicting is an important reading skill, and it's never too early to practice. And with this book, it's lots of fun.
The cover flap says, "A fish has stolen a hat. And he'll probably get away with it. Probably." And it's that last "probably" that causes all the excitement.
A small fish swims by wearing a rather charming blue hat that fits perfectly. He tells the reader, "This hat is not mine. I just stole it." The reader then learns that the hat was stolen from a big fish who was sleeping. Who would probably remain sleeping for a while. (Notice that special word, "probably," again. And even if he wakes up, he probably won't notice that it's gone. And so on.
Young kids love this kind of story and will probably (there it is again!) want to read this story over and over. Point out the expression on the big fish's face. Klassen manages to put tons of feeling into two rather cartoonish eyes. It's wonderful.
And put the illustrations and the text together and you get a picture book really worthy of winning the Caldecott Award.
Please note: This review is based on the final hardcover picture book provided by the Oak Terrace Elementary School librarian for review purposes (it was checked out).
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