Do your students struggle with responsible decision-making? Read on to find This is Not My Hat activities and comprehension questions to discuss the consequences of actions, integrity and unreliable narration.

A little fish steals a hat from a big fish even though he knows it is wrong to steal. The themes of This is Not My Hat include stealing has consequences, greed can lead to poor decision-making, and it is not always easy to make sensible decisions.

Reading This is Not My Hat gives you the opportunity to promote:

• the perspective of a perpetrator
• unreliable narration
• open-ending
• stealing
• consequences and fair punishment
• lying and integrity
• responsible decision-making
• reading between the lines

This is Not My Hat Summary

A little fish tells the reader he stole a big fish's hat. He knows it's wrong but is sure he can get away with it. The fish tries to justify its action to the reader, “It was too small for him anyway. It fits me just right.” The fish swims off the hide in plants that grow big, tall and close together. Little does the fish know the big fish has woken up and is on its trail. 

The big fish follows the little fish into the tall plants, and the little fish's narration stops. Wearing its hat, the big fish swims out of the plants, leaving the reader to come to their own conclusions about what happened.

This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen
Illustrator: Jon Klassen
Publisher: Walker Books (2014)
ISBN: 9781406353433

Take a look inside

Jon Klassen Official Website

Book Series

• I Want My Hat Back 
• This Is Not My Hat
• We Found a Hat

Related Books

• I Just Ate My Friend by Heidi McKinnon
• The Incredible Book Eating Boy by Oliver Jeffers 
• Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett
• Blackout by John Rocco 
• The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka
• Voices in the Park by Anthony Browne

This is Not My Hat Activities and Resources

I have created literacy graphic organizers for This is Not My Hat. You can find them at my Teachers Pay Teachers store. There are many activities for each literacy area to differentiate depending on your student’s ability/age. They include activities for:

• Cause & Effect
• Character Traits and Analysis
• Making Connections
• Point of View
• Problem and Solution
• Retelling, Sequencing and  Summarizing
• Inference and Prediction

*Click on these links to discover book recommendations on these topics.

This is Not My Hat Activities and Links

• Candlewick: Jon Klassen Activity Kit
• Candlewick: Jon Klassen’s Hat Trilogy Teachers’ Guide
• The Prindle Institute for Ethics: This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen
• Reading is Fundamental: This Is Not My Hat: Interview with Author Jon Klassen
• Teaching Ideas: I Want My Hat Back Teaching Ideas and Resources
• Walker: Jon Klassen’s Hat Trilogy Activity Kit

FREE This is Not My Hat Activities

Would you like free graphic organisers for This is Not My Hat?

I have a freebie that is part of a larger resource so that you can try it out in your classroom today!

Fill out the form below for the FREE activities to be sent to your inbox.

Click on the image to the left to see the full resource on Teachers Pay Teachers.

This is Not My Hat Read-Aloud Questions

Read-aloud sessions are a wonderful way for children to understand the connection between written text and spoken language. You can model reading habits, strategies, fluency, tone, and eye contact. You can also introduce different genres, authors and illustrators.

• How do facial expressions help you infer what the characters think and feel?
• If the little fish survived, what would it do next? Do you think it would steal again? Why or why not?
• Is there ever a time when it is okay to lie?
• Is it okay for the big fish to punish the little fish?
• Do you think the punishment was fair for stealing a hat? Why or why not?
• Describe why the little fish’s narration is unreliable.
• Was the crab an important character? Why or why not?
• How did the crab influence the story plot?
• Why do you think Jon Klassen uses no text towards the end of the book? How does it enhance the storytelling?
• Jon Klassen draws each of the fish with one eye. How does he show what they think and feel?

You can find a full set of discussion cards in the This is Not My Hat Activity Bundle or as a separate pack.

This is Not My Hat Video

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