I Want I Want My Hat Back!

I Want I Want My Hat Back!

Wednesdays: What's New in the World of Children's Literature

The biggest thing to hit the children's market this year is an instant classic, I Want My Hat Back, by Jon Klassen.  This simple story is winning awards and accolades from all of the literary experts--to date it has won at least 13 literary awards!  Klassen proves that minimal language and sparcity in color can make the humor of a story really stand out.

Poor Bear loses his hat, so he checks with all of the woodland creatures.  Bear isn't the smartest animal in the forest, so it takes him awhile, wandering around the forest, to realize that he has, indeed, seen his hat!  And the one who took it most definitely regrets it! 

I love this story for its simplicity.  Dr. Seuss was the first to show us that one can write a great story with just a few simple words.  (The Cat in the Hat used only 236 distinct words.)  But the best part of the story is the humor!  The facial expressions on the animals are enough to make any preschooler giggle--oh, and a high schooler or two might, as well, as my daughter did the whole way through the book!  Even with the minimalist approach, you can see that Bear is a real character.  The surprising conclusion (which is somewhat controversial), provides some irreverant humor for adults but keeps the youngsters in the dark.  (I would like to say that children who do understand the end, will giggle and love it, while adults, who tend to be a little too literal for most children's literature, will perhaps be shocked.)

Enjoy a short video, introducing this story and the clever illustrations of Jon Klassen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-zrHYwcrecU
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