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I Want My Hat Back

“My hat is gone. I want it back.” A bear’s quest for his missing hat has him asking one animal after another. “Have you seen my hat?” The fox hasn’t seen it. The frog hasn’t seen it. Turtle, snake, possum—no one has seen his hat. And then, there’s the rabbit. “I haven’t seen it. I haven’t seen any hats anywhere. I would not steal a hat. Don’t ask me any more questions.” It’s obvious to readers and listeners, even if it isn’t to the bear, that the rabbit is wearing his hat. But the realization hits bear a few pages later and he races back to find the rabbit. An accusation on one page spread is followed by a wordless face-off on the next. One more turn of the page reveals the bear happily wearing in his hat. Enter a squirrel: “Excuse me. Have you seen a rabbit wearing a hat?” The bear’s response suggests the rabbit did not fare well in this comical picture book perfect for teaching inference. Jon Klassen’s muted palette and elegantly simple, distinctive illustrations are a perfect match for his offbeat story. ©2011 Cooperative Children’s Book Center

Illustrated by Jon Klassen

CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 4-9
Age Range: PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7) Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Format: Picture book
Subjects: Humor Inference Surprise Endings Visual Counterpoint

Publisher: Candlewick
Publish Year: 2011
Pages: 32
ISBN: 9780763655983

CCBC Location: Picture Book, Klassen

I Want My Hat Back