This Is Not My Hat

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Klassen, John. 2012. THIS IS NOT MY HAT. Ill by John Klassen.

Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press. ISBN 9780763655990 

PLOT SUMMARY

Jon Klassen tells the dark, yet humorous, story of a fish that steals the hat of a large fish. Throughout this tale, the fish is confident that he will get away with it and is constantly attempting to reassure the reader that everything will turn out okay. As he makes his way to his The story ends with the fish faces the ultimate of consequences.

 CRITICAL ANALYSIS

With his writing, Klassen gives us a glimpse into the mind of the main character. He uses the text to reassure the reader, while his crafty illustrations directly contradict what he writes. This tale hints at the consequences, while extreme, of stealing. It’s funny how he tells us he will be hiding where the plants grow big and tall, as if we are his accomplices. Then, on the very next page, an additional message of caution in trusting others is inferred when the fish is spied by a crab that promises to keep quiet: “There is someone who saw me already. But he said he wouldn’t tell anyone which way I went.” The reader can almost surely predict that this will not turn out well.

Klassen artfully develops the setting with his use of black for the background, which implies that they are in the deepest depths of the ocean, where no light can enter. The dark, muted colors used in the illustrations, lends a sense of foreboding to the story. While the artwork itself is unassuming, he uses small details to convey important elements of the plot. The eye of the large fish is very expressive as it is opened wide when he discovers his hat has been taken. His eye becomes a sliver as he is intent on finding the culprit. It gives the reader some insight, as the mood of the story changes. Klassen includes bubbles to illustrate movement throughout the story, as the thief heads to his hiding spot. The images could stand alone to tell the story, as seen at the end of book when the writing stops, and the pictures tell the rest of the fateful story. We see the large fish swim into the plants where he is hiding. Finally, the fish swims out, wearing his hat.

This book might be a bit grim for younger readers due to the implied violence. It would be more suited for older readers that would appreciate the humor and understand that this ending is not absolute.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

The Caldecott Medal

Booklist Editor’s Choice

Starred review in School Library Journal: “This not to be missed title will delight children again and again.”

CONNECTIONS

*This book can be used to lead a discussion about honesty.

*Use the illustrations in this book to teach inferences, by covering up the text and making predictions.

*Other books by Jon Klassen:

Klassen, John. I Want My Hat Back. ISBN 9780763655983

Klassen, John. We Found A Hat. ISBN 97807636056003

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Viorst, Judith. 1972. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day Ill. by Ray Cruz. New York, NY: MacMillan Publishing Company. ISBN 0689300727

PLOT SUMMARY

Viorst tells a story from the viewpoint of a young boy, who is having a bad day. Just when he thinks his day can’t get any worse, it does. Throughout the text, he comes to realize that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Young Alexander is a very relatable character. I like that this story wasn’t written with the typical happy ending in mind. The character is just left to accept that life isn’t always perfect. While his reactions are a bit overly dramatic throughout the story, they are quite comical. Most readers can relate in way or another to a day that seems to be filled with nothing but bad luck. The thought that comes to mind is, “When it rains, it pours.” Viorst utilizes repetition in a way that allows the reader to predictably participate with the reading: “It has been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.” She cleverly uses run-on sentences to portray the ramblings of Alexander throughout the text.

The illustrations are black and white and are created using a lot of scratchy lines. Cruz uses the small lines to show shadow and portray depth. The illustrations are large and closely match the text in narration. They contain a lot of detail, from the boy himself, down to the smallest toy train. With the lack of color on the pages, your eyes are naturally drawn to the characters. The expressions in Alexander’s face set the tone throughout the tale. His forehead is always scrunched up and he is constantly scowling. Cruz further supports the tone of the character by drawing him with his arms crossed. With each passing event, the illustrations reflect his increasingly agitated mood. The reader can almost hear the grumbling as you flip through the pages. The illustrations are a close representation of who Alexander is. Most of the drawings show the other characters smiling and well put together, while Alexander is disheveled and moody.

I especially like this story because both adults and kids can relate to feeling like nothing is going your way.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

George G. Stone Center Recognition of Merit

ALA Notable Children's Books

Kirkus Reviews: "If Alexander's mother is smart to offer casual sympathy, without phony consolation, Cruz and Viorst offer the readers the same respect."

CONNECTIONS

*Use this book to encourage writing by having the students write about their own “No good, very bad day.”

"That sounds like my day on Saturday! At soccer practice, I fell into a muddy spot and had to leave early." - Skyler, 4th grade

*Other books about having a bad day:

Friday, Mary Ellen. It’s a Bad Day. ISBN 0873589041

Tan, Shaun. The Red Tree. ISBN 0968876838

Last Stop On Market Street

BIBLIOGRAPHY

De La Pena, Matt. 2015. Last Stop on Market Street. Ill. by Christian Robinson.

New York, NY: Penguin Group. ISBN 9780399257742

PLOT SUMMARY

De La Pena shares the story of young boy venturing through his neighborhood, by bus, with his grandma. It begins with CJ questioning why he has to ride the bus instead of them owning a car. Throughout the trip through the city, he notices more differences between what he has vs. others. Nana assures him that they have everything they need and encourages him to notice the world around him. After exiting the bus, Nana helps CJ take notice of the beauty that can be found within the dirtiness of their surroundings. They finally arrive at their destination, which is a soup kitchen, and CJ decides he is glad that they made the trip, as he and his grandma help serve the members of their community.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

 De La Pena’s text details the kind of thoughts and questions that a lot of readers can relate to, when   feeling like you don’t have as much as everyone else. “Nana, how come we don’t have a car?” “CJ stared out the window feeling sorry for himself.” The grandma has a consistent, positive tone throughout the story as she strives to show CJ that possessions are not the measure of happiness.

This colorfully illustrated book embraces the diversity all around us with the characters and urban settings. The details in the artwork help to develop the characters. For example, one character is a gruff looking bald man, covered in tattoos. Sitting next to him is a small, older woman with a handkerchief around her head, holding a jar of butterflies. Robinson uses bright colors such as the orange clothing, red umbrellas, and lively blue background to emphasize the positive tones of the book.

The text and the illustrations work in tandem to support each other. In the final pages, the text shows how CJ is starting to be appreciative of his community, while the illustrations show him and Nana coming up to a line outside the soup kitchen. Just when you are starting to think that maybe he and his grandma are in need of food, the next page details more than a dozen people sitting at tables, while others are in line waiting to be served. Robinson shows us that CJ and Nana are actually serving others. The illustrations are bright and all of the characters have a big smile on their face. The final image is Nana and CJ sitting at the bus stop. Robinson includes a big grin on CJ’s face as he reads a book patiently. leaves off, the illustrations pick up. The theme prevalent throughout the text is to truly appreciate the beauty in life, one must have experienced the bad.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

John Newbery Medal

Caldecott Honor Book

Coretta Scott King Award

Horn Book Guide: “A quietly remarkable book.”

School Library Journal: "This is an excellent book that highlights less popular topics such as urban life, volunteerism, and thankfulness, with people of color as the main characters."

CONNECTIONS

*This is a book that encourages you to be thankful for what you have.

*Discuss ways that you can make a difference in your community.

*Other books for children about volunteering:

Stover, Jo Ann. If Everybody Did. ISBN 9780890844878

Speckhart, Danielle. The Littlest Volunteers. ISBN 1424330122

Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type

1.    

      BIBLIOGRAPHY

Cronin, Doreen. 2000. Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type. Ill. by Doreen Cronin.

New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9780743461511

       PLOT SUMMARY

Cronin begins the story with a farmer’s back and forth negotiations with his cows, who have somehow acquired a typewriter. All day long, he hears click, clack, moo. He is shocked when he finds a note from the cows. They demand electric blankets to improve the conditions in the barn. He initially refuses to meet their demands, leading the cows to go on strike and withhold milk. After the chickens unite with the cows and threaten to deny eggs, he responds with a demand letter of his own. Duck, being the mediator, delivers a final compromise to the farmer. The cows will exchange the typewriter for the blankets. Thinking this would resolve his problems on the farm, he gives in. Unfortunately, the ducks have ideas of their own. The typing begins again, as the ducks demand a diving board to alleviate their boredom.

      CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Cronin uses a simplistic text style that is easy to read. The text is large, and the dark print stands out against the lighter colors of the illustrations. This humorous tale uses fun, light storytelling and repetitive rhetoric like “Click, Clack, Moo,” which makes it fun to read and offers predictable text that younger readers can imitate.

Lewin begins by creating a cover that incorporates the characters seen throughout the book. Only including the animals, emphasized the point of view of the text. She uses bold lines for her cartoon-like illustrations, which helps the reader follow the story without being overly distracting. The drawings are large and not overly detailed. Her use of color gives clues about the setting as the story plays out. For example, some pages have a red background, representing the barn. In addition, the passage of time is represented with bright yellow backgrounds for daytime and dark blues for night. This is effective for younger readers because they can still “read” the story using just the illustrations. The illustrations are complementary to the text because they show events that are not directly relayed by Cronin, such as the farmer’s response to the ducks. Lewin ends the book with a single image of a duck diving off of a diving board, leaving the reader to infer that the farmer agreed to their demands.

Readers of all ages can appreciate this comical approach to problem resolution.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Caldecott Medal Award winner

Starred review in Booklist: "Lewin's wild line-and-watercolor cartoons are perfectly suited to this barnyard farce about animals that go on strike to demand better working conditions."

        CONNECTIONS

*This book is a good starting point to discuss persuasive writing.

*Duck was probably a working with the cows the whole time!” – Noah “If I was the farmer, I would have brought the note to the cows myself, instead of sending Duck. W., 4^th grade
*Use this book as a mentor text for teaching onomatopoeias. 

* Other books in the series include:

Cronin, Doreen. Giggle, Giggle, Quack. ISBN 9781579821562

Cronin, Doreen. Duck for President. ISBN 9781442460966