Jon Klassen created illustrations for the popular series The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place and served as an illustrator on the animated feature film Coraline. His illustrations for Caroline Stutson's Cats Night Out won the Governor General Award in 2010. I Want My Hat Back is the first book he has both written and illustrated. Originally from Niagara Falls, Canada, he lives in Los Angeles.
A marvelous book in the true dictionary sense of “marvel": it is a
wonderful and astonishing thing, the kind of book that makes child
laugh and adult chuckle, and both smile in appreciation. A
charmingly wicked little book.
—The New York Times
Deliberately understated, with delectable results… Skillful
characterizations; though they're simply drawn and have little to
say, each animal emerges fully realized.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Read aloud, this story will offer many sublime insights into how
young readers comprehend an illustrated text that leaves out vital
information, and will leave young sleuths reeling with theories
about what just happened.
—School Library Journal
Klassen's animation and design skills are evident on every page in
this sly, subversive tale... Adults and older children will chuckle
mordantly at rabbit's sudden disappearance, while young children
might actually wonder, with Squirrel, where the rabbit has
gone.
—The Horn Book
Indubitably hip, this will find plenty of admirers.
—Kirkus Reviews
You know, bears may stand for adults in some way, because they’re
big, they’re ungainly, they’re goofy. They’re like most of us
grownups. But the bear in this book paws down; he’s got to be the
dimmest, most slow-witted, brilliantly stupid bear to come along in
years. I really love him.
—NPR Weekend Edition
Four pages into this charmer, every kindergartner will know where
the bear’s missing hat is — but they’ll never predict the hilarious
revenge he takes on the thief.
—People Magazine
A sly picture book...Young readers and listeners will love being in
on the joke, making them appreciate the story's humor even
more.
—BookPage
The joy of this book lies in figuring out the explicit plot from
the implicit details in the pictures, especially a few wordless
ones.
—Chicago Tribune
A coterie of woodland animals is drawn in a minimalistic style and
a palette of browns with a splash of red. The dialogue is simple
and sly.
—The Boston Globe
This is a familiar picture-book formula with a twist, and the
minimalist style Klassen employs with both text and art only
emphasizes the humor of the situation....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.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Read I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen. It’s the most subtle
endorsement of murder you’ll ever find.
—GQ.com
This is a must-have for any primary or even intermediate classroom.
It’s about inference and being a good reader.
—Huffington Post
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