I Want My Hat Back

I Want My Hat Back by John Klassen 

Marirosa Mia:  In life there are many great unanswered questions: What is the meaning of life? The chicken or the egg? And...have you see my hat? I WANT MY HAT BACK by John Klassen is a picture book that sets out to answer just that question (the last one, that is). A brief summary for you: Bear has lost his hat and goes around asking his fellow woodland creatures if anyone has seen it. *Spoiler alert*:  Someone has, but lies to Bear while actually wearing the hat he's been looking for!  Gah!  Poor Bear is too distraught from the loss of the missing hat to notice, and continues on his way.  But not for long! I love Klassen's humor and the sly wink at the end that leaves you giggling. How about you, Julie?

Julie:  I love the subtle humor in this book.  First, its very premise:  An enormous bear loves his red, pointy hat; he's intent on finding it; he misses it "so much." That amuses me!  Second, the enormous bear is so very gracious, so unfailingly polite.  "Thank you anyway," he says time and time again.  This alone is funny, and particularly so when compared to his most uncivilized behavior at the book's end.  The art ads humor, too.  I love, for example, the scene with the reindeer gazing down at the bear lying prostrate with grief over his poor missing hat. And the use of the color red, particularly on one pivotal page about two-thirds of the way through?  Genius!  What do you think of the art, Mia? 

M: I loved the warm tones used in the illustration and the subtle and not so subtle (the use of red in the revelation scene) color that he uses to pop out his characters or their dialogue. The drawings and even the texture of the book fit perfectly together, giving the story a bit of a laid back/earthy feel to it. It's clear that as an illustrator he was very conscious of how he was using color in each page and how it could help him tell the story.  

J:  I wholeheartedly agree.  And now the million-dollar question:  Any concern that kids will be disturbed by the book's final, fatal turn?  I showed it to my younger daughter, curious about how she'd react.  She laughed and laughed.  Granted, at nine she's no longer among the target picture book audience.  But I suspect more of those kids will be amused than upset.  Partly because the drawings have a cartoon quality (in a sophisticated way), and partly because of the clever repetition of language.  What do you think? 

M: I think kids will find the humor in it more than anything - particularly if they are old enough to understand what happened without having their parents explain it. Before we wrap up, Julie, I wanted to share this "spoof" I found on Tumblr! It's so funny: http://mootiness.tumblr.com/post/12877719858

J:  Oh, how I dream of someday writing a book worthy of a Severus Snape spoof.  

M: We all do, Julie; we all do.

 

Comments

[caroline]

I think younger kids would have a harder time understanding the final turn at the end. A friend read it with her son who is about 2-1/2, and wasn't happy about figuring out how to explain it to him!

[Julie Sternberg]

Yes--excellent point! The book is probably NOT a good choice for kids under the age of 4 or so, for that reason. It's hard to keep the humor in an explanation, and the results could be a little discomforting.