This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen

Klassen, Jon. This Is Not My Hat. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2012. 

This Is Not My Hat, written and illustrated by Jon Klassen, won the Caldecott Medal in 2013. This story is darkly humorous and tells the tale of a tiny fish who knows it is wrong to steal a hat. Klassen's use of a limited color palette and simple narrative leads the reader to follow subtle clues to imagine the tiny fish's consequences for stealing the big fish's hat. Caldecott Chair Sandra Imdieke said, "With minute changes in eyes and the slightest displacement of seagrass, Klassen's masterful illustrations tell the story the narrator doesn't know"¹. 

Klassen created the images for This Is Not My Hat digitally and using Chinese ink. The result is simple illustrations using a limited color palette. The color of the illustrations suggest the mood for the book, which is rather dark. The background of the illustrations is black while the background of the text is white, creating a visually appealing contrast. The contrast of the color of the background and the colors of the fish and in particular, the hat, draws the readers eyes to certain parts of the page. The author digitally creates texture on the illustrations that make the reader almost want to reach out and feel the fish.

Klassen also mixes where the text appears on the page. The location of the words help set the rhythm and pace of the story. More dramatic parts of the story are on a white page alone, as seen in the example above. Some of the pages have the text written above an illustration that is spread over two pages, as seen here. By the end of the story, at the climax of drama, Klassen drops text all together and uses illustration to tell the story. The illustrations could tell the story alone throughout the book. The text does provide a humorous narration, however.

The illustrations themselves are rather simple, however have a big impact on the story. It was definitely worthy of the Caldecott Medal. The story is easily read and keeps the reader involved and wanting to turn the page to find out what happens next. The story is somewhat dark, fitting to Klassen's style. The illustrations tell the end of the story and leave the reader wondering what happens to the little fish. Although I worry about what fate the little fish found, I really enjoyed this story, especially the illustrations. The illustrations perfectly complement the text and help bring the story to life and tells the rest of the story when the author stops using text. Overall, I can see why this book won the Caldecott and I'm interested in exploring more of Klassen's work.

1. "2013 Caldecott Medal and Honor Books," Association for Library Service to Children, accessed August 30, 2017, http://www.ala.org/alsc/2013-caldecott-medal-and-honor-books.