Jon Klassen lets children decide what is right and what is wrong. I was impressed by the author’s incorporation of many complex themes (Is it ever ok to steal, even if you think you won’t get caught? Is it ok to break a promise? Is getting revenge a good way to solve a problem?) with only minimal text and a complete lack of preachy-ness. The plot is simple enough to be followed by young children, (I wanted something that wasn’t mine, I took it, I thought I could get away with it, I got caught) and is something that they can relate to. Children will also get a chance to evaluate the broken promise of the crab and think about when it is ok to break a promise in their own lives. The characters will appeal to children because they can relate to wanting things they don’t have, they can see themselves in the justifications of the small fish, and they might even recognize the overpowering need for justice felt by the big fish. In, This Is Not My Hat!, Jon Klassen makes interesting and compelling character choices by having the main character give in to temptation and steal, and by having the victim (the big fish) resolve the problem in a non-peaceful way.

Many times in children’s literature, characters are presented as being nearly perfect and quickly learning lessons. This Is Not My Hat! introduces characters that, although nameless, will immediately appeal to children as unique and realistic. We never see the little fish again and can only assume the bigger fish has either injured or eaten our little thieving fishy friend! The story ends with the big fish swimming into the tall grass and exiting with his hat on his head.

Of course the larger fish wakes up to find his hat missing and the crab immediately confesses what he saw. The crab promises not to tell on the little fish and as the fish makes his way to the tall grass to hide, we get to hear his rationalizations and justifications for stealing, along with his reassurances to himself that his heist will not have any negative consequences. As he is making his escape, he discovers a crab has noticed his misdeed. The little fish knows that stealing is wrong but wanted the hat so badly that he took it anyways. This Is Not My Hat! is the story of a small fish who decides to steal a small hat from a much bigger fish who was asleep.

This is not my hat book