Title: We Found a Hat
Author/Illustrator: Jon Klassen
Publisher: Candlewick Press, 2016
Intended Ages: 4-8
Themes: Animals, Temptation, Friendship
Opening Lines: "We found a hat
We found it together."
Synopsis: Two turtles find a hat. It looks good on both of them. But there are two turtles, and only one hat.
What I like about this book: Jon Klassen is the master of understatement and the power of single glances. His newest addition to his "hat cycle" of stories adds a layer of tenderness and friendship to his spot-on deadpan humor. This is another story that leaves the emotional inner story to the reader to fill in. Klassen is the master of what happens in the story, off the page. The limited, muted palette keeps the focus squarely on the text and those expressive eyes. Constructed in three chapters, the 56 pages fly by. I believe it's appropriate for even young toddlers, age 2 and up.
Resources/Activities:
- Read the author's hat trilogy (This Is Not My Hat, I Want My Hat Back and We Found a Hat). Discuss which you like best, and why
- Talk about things you have. Which would you share? Why or why not? Does it matter if it's something that can be returned, or something gets consumed (like cookies)?
- Brainstorm alternate endings for this book. Could they have taken turns wearing the hat? Made another hat? Could one turtle have taken the hat? How does the choice of an ending affect the characters' friendship?
- Share something with a friend.
- Buy a new hat for yourself or to donate to charity. Why do you pick the one you do?
Thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoy my selection this week.
This review is part of PPBF (Perfect Picture Book Friday) where bloggers share great picture books. Organized and curated by author Susanna Leonard Hill, she keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books. #PPBF
