This is an analysis of the children's book This is Not My Hat. This was completed for a Children's Literature Class.

1. This is Not My Hat
Laura Utes

2. This is Not My Hat – Basic Information
 Written by Jon Klassen
 Illustrated by Jon
Klassen
 Published by
Candlewick Press
 2013 winner of The
Caldecott Medal

3. Style
 The style in this book was very difficult to
determine because it did not clearly fit into any
category.
 This book fits into the naïve style the best because
the proportions of the large fish are off.
 The fish is very large but makes very small
bubbles, has a small tail, and small side fins.
 The whole story is told using the expressions of the
fish (just their eyes).

5. Media
 According to The Classroom Bookshelf, Klassen
used Chinese ink and digital media to create the
look in This is Not My Hat.
(http://classroombookshelf.blogspot.com/2013/02/
2013-caldecott-medal-winner-this-is-not.html)
 Some of the illustrations are more transparent,
such as the plants, while the fish, rocks, and crab
are more opaque.
 Even on the pages that show the dense, forest of
plants, some plants are solid and others are
translucent.

7. Line
 Klassen uses the lines on the page to suggest
movement when the large fish takes off after the
person that stole his hat.
 He also uses vertical lines when he draws the
plants to show the tranquility of the water.

9. Shape
 The characters represented natural objects, so the
shapes were kept natural and are mostly rounded.
 The shapes appear two-dimensional, flat to the
page.
 All of the shapes in the story are simple, childlike
representations of the objects.

11. Color
 This is Not My Hat is about theft and stealth, so it
makes sense that the book is illustrated in dark
colors.
 Klassen uses natural colors, mostly tan, brown,
and grey.
 The background is black on every page, except
where the text is written.
 The lighter colors of the fish, immediately grab the
readers’ attention.
 The plants in the forest are various colors so that
they appear dense and give the impression of
overlapping.
 Klassen also uses fairly dull colors in the
illustrations.
 This fits with the action taking place under the
water where there would be less light.

13. Texture
 All of the objects in the book appear two-
dimensional but Klassen is still able to give the
appearance of texture.
 The large fish and the rock appear speckled, giving
them the illusion of texture.
 The pattern on the small fish makes it look like it
has scales.
 The plants appear smooth in all of the pictures and
makes it appear that they are really submerged in
water.

15. Composition
 By using a black background for all the illustrations
and a white background for all the text, Klassen
created unity throughout the book.
 Klassen also draws the reader’s eye to the fish by
making them bright.
 The size of the bigger fish causes him to dominate
any scene and leaves no doubt as to who will end
up with the hat in the end.

17. Action
 Klassen does an excellent job of depicting action in
his story.
 Little bubbles appear behind the fish to show that
they are moving and which direction they are
headed.
 He also shows the plants bending at the bottom of
the page when the big fish takes off after the little
fish.

19. Overall Impression
 Klassen does a very good job of depicting the
story.
 The words are almost pointless.
 You can understand exactly what is happening just
by looking at the pictures.
 At the end of the story, the words become
unnecessary and the pictures tell you what
happens while still leaving room for the readers
imagination.
 Do they fight? Does the big fish eat the little one?
 All that is known is that the big fish gets his hat
back.

21. The end