This is Not My Hat, but I know what might have happened to it....

I launched the Caldecott Medal unit with my first grade students by reading last year's Medal winner,  This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen. 

This book is brilliant.  

I don't need to say anything about this book because it has all been said before, but should you need it, you can read what the Caldecott Committee said here. 

I LOVE reading this book with my students.  Last year, I read it from kindergarten through grade five and each experience was as good as the next.  What's not to love about a sassy and confident hat-stealing fish?

Like all teachers, I spend time talking about the important space that Jon Klassen has created, a space where his story ends and the reader's imagination takes over.  In This is Not My Hat, that space is where the plants grow big and tall and close together. 

Spoiler alert: there are plenty of students that believe the big fish ate the little fish and that the little fish was quite deserving of this, but in each class there are a solid number of students whose imaginations let this story take another turn.  Have a listen to just a few of them.

Today, I am thankful for books, like this one, that make teaching and learning (or just plain reading!) fun.

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Not familiar with the book? Watch the trailer!