Module 3: This Is Not My Hat

Module 3:This Is Not My Hat

Book Summary:

          In this simple story, a little fish thinks he has gotten away with stealing a big fish’s hat.  The little fish explains how he is going to get away with his crime. Little does this fish know something is following him.  

APA Reference of the Book:

Klassen, J. (2012). This is not my hat. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

Impressions:  

I love that the little fish thinks he got away with his crime.  The illustrations really tell the story. The reader can hear the little fish’s attitude portray through the words, but the illustrations let the reader keep the big fish’s secret and create suspense.  At the end of the story, the reader gets to decide what happens to the little fish.  The little fish seems so confident in his thieving abilities. I like how the little fish justifies his actions while the big fish realizes what has occurred. 

         

Reviews:
From School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1 -- 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. -- Carolyn Janssen, Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County, Cincinnati, OH

Janssen, C. (2012, September 24). Pick of the Day [ Review of the book This Is Not My Hat]. School Library Journal. Retrieved from http://www.slj.com/2012/09/collection-development/pick-of-the-day-this-is-not-my-hat/#_

In the Library:

         

          This book lends itself well to introducing the element of suspense and hooking the reader’s attention in story writing.  After reading this story to the students, I would have examples on websites and in different books for students to view that model how author’s build suspense and keep the reader interested in finishing the story.  Students could work in groups to create some attention grabbers in their writing.  Then students could act out their stories.  I could record the stories or have students create their stories using Draw and Tell or Explain Everything apps.