I Want My Hat Back (review)

"My hat is gone. I want it back," says the determined bear narrator. As he questions various animals as to his hat's whereabouts, tuned-in viewers will rightfully suspect the rabbit, wearing a red triangular object on his head, who "doth protest too much": "No. Why are you asking me. I haven't seen it. I haven't seen any hats anywhere. I would not steal a hat." Finally, as the despairing bear describes his missing hat to a deer, he realizes that he has seen his hat—on the rabbit. Back he goes to claim it. When he's later approached by a squirrel in search of the rabbit, he echoes the rabbit's false denials: "I haven't seen any rabbits anywhere. I would not eat a rabbit. Don't ask me any more questions." This is a familiar picture-book formula (think Eric Carle's Have You Seen My Cat?) with a twist, and the minimalist style Klassen employs with both text and art (a combination of digital illustration and Chinese ink) only emphasizes the humor of the situation. The large, textured brown bear looms on each mostly blank, creamy page as he politely interrogates different smaller creatures. His emotions are effectively conveyed not by his expression but by his stance (upright when questioning, horizontal when despondent, in mid-stride when he is trying to find the rabbit), by the use of all capitals when he is upset, and by color (on the page in which he realizes where he has seen his missing hat, his creamy background is replaced with a brilliant red). The large-font text appears against a stark white background; the bear's dialogue is printed in black while the responses of the various animals are printed in colors that match their own coloring. While these design choices and the simplicity and pattern of the text would make this a good choice for beginning readers, it would also make an amusing readaloud or a great little readers' theater piece.