Nov 15th 2016, 22:08

Now this makes for my kind of storytime! A picture book that’s written as an epic, this concluding part of a linked but not sequential trilogy deserves a proper write up. We read this together, a gaggle of girlies - a thirty (ahem…) something, an eight, a five and a two year old. We all had a jolly old time but, like the appeal of many kids books, for very different reasons.

The Two Year Old
“Turtle! Turtle!”
Yes, they’re cute aren’t they. I think they’re actually tortoises but I don’t suppose it matters.
“’s a hat!”
Yes, what a nice hat.
“MY hat”
OK, it could be I suppose.
“Awwww, turtle!”
Yes, they’re cute aren't they…. and around we go again!

The Five Year Old
“I’d cut the hat in half”
But then neither of the Turtles… I mean Tortoises (damn you, two-year-old) could wear it.
“Oh. Its a sad story because they don’t get the hat”
They stay friends though, that’s good isn’t it?
“They could be snatching it…”
What’s more important, a hat or a friend?
“… Friends…” She sounds unconvinced.
“I’d like a cowboy hat like that one…”
Perhaps you could add it to page 6 of your Christmas list.

The Eight Year Old
“They could just find the hat and then go to a shop and then buy another hat”
They’re in the desert…
“Or they could one day one wear the hat and one day the other one wear the hat”
That’s true. Still, it’s a nice ending isn’t it?
“Mmm. I’d call them Greedy and Pinky”
Ah, cool names.
“Greedy is a boy and Pinky is a girl”
Right, why do you think that?
“Because boys make badder choices than girls. Girls make great decisions.”
*silently agrees*

The Grown Up
The epic tone of the story is first struck by the fact that this book is structured in three parts, which feels tongue in cheek and made me chuckle. By setting his story in the desert with its prickly cacti and romantic sunsets, Jon Klassen extends his reference to existential metaphors; essentially this could be your child’s first chronicle. The tale is one of trust, friendship, loyalty, guilt and a rejection of materialism in favour of unconditional love. Or could it be a study in passive aggression (is the tortoise narrating its dream really asleep or just embarking on a guilt trip?) resulting in a choice to exist in a fantasy realm over reality? Or worse, to remain in a stagnant relationship based on an undercurrent of simmering resentment? Themes we’re more used to encountering from the likes of Tennessee Williams, but there’s no reason we shouldn’t find them here too.

Sending the kids off to bed with this story, though, the only option is to read the ending as an uplifting one, where the pair of tortoises settle happily into their own comfy equilibrium, rejecting the superfluous hat and enjoying each other’s company simply and honestly. It’s a nicer way to end the day!

However deep you chose to read this, We Found a Hat and the two preceding books are seeped in dark humour with moody illustrations reminiscent in tone of Edward Gorey. The morality of the tales are not dissimilar too. The first two stories, I Want My Hat Back and This Is Not My Hat are tales of betrayal and end in (suggested) death as a result. Rough justice! This third in the trilogy depicts choices made and relationships forged which are markedly different, making it less gruesomely funny and more gentle and droll.

Of course, how much your kids grasp is vastly distorted from anything that works its way through the adult brain. We’ve all had to sit through comprehension homework where your kids miss the whole bloody point. So I asked them…
What do you think we learn from the three books?
“Don’t steal a hat or you might get eaten”
Why does no one get eaten in the last story?
“Because they’re tortoises”

So there you have it, maybe roll like my kids and ignore everything I’ve written!

Klassen's inimitable deadpan humour combines with muted pink-and-grey landscapes, black space and soaring stars to create a taut, terse, surprisingly uplifting book. * The Guardian * This is the third in Jon Klassen's utterly brilliant Hat trilogy (I Want My Hat Back and This Is Not My Hat) and is just as witty and expressive as its predecessors - although the deadpan humour leads to a warmer ending. [...] Klassen once again creates a moral dilemma over a completely unlikely and impractical object and conjures up powerful emotional turmoil simply through the creatures' eye movements. A glorious ending makes this (ant the previous two titles) essential reading for every family. * Daily Mail * The award-winning author of I Want My Hat Back tells big stories simply. He is at his glorious best in We Found a Hat, which, with a minimum of words and the sparsest pictures, wittily captures the intense difficulty of sharing. * The Guardian * "This is an age category where elements more favourable to older readers can sometimes sneak in. Jon Klassen's We Found a Hat, the third in his hat trilogy, offers up a tense situation where a turtle must choose between wanting something very badly and betraying a friend." * The Irish Times * Simple language and deceptively simple illustrations make this the kind of bedtime story that children will return to again and again. * The Irish Times * "the final instalment in Jon Klassen's ingeniously sparse desert trilogy doesn't disappoint" * Evening Standard * This sparsely worded and drawn picture book captures brilliantly the concept of sharing and is cleverly conceived, a wonderful conclusion to a fantastic series and a highly recommended addition to any bookshelf! * Armadillo * Rendered in sombre hues with a gradual fading out of the soft orange as the sun finally sinks, this is desert dryness in more senses than one. * Red Reading Hub * This is the perfect ending to Jon Klassen's hat trilogy. We leave some of the darker aspects of the previous two titles behind, but without sacrificing the substance and sheer brilliance of Klassen's storytelling. The humour, the tension, the shifty eyes, all of Klassen's trademarks come out in this deadpan yet touching tale of two friends. It's the ideal story to share with youngsters beginning to learn the nuances of friendship. * Booktrust * "Award-winning Jon Klassen is as witty, engaging and subtle as ever in this delightful story with a very big theme but told in only a very few words. Two Turtles find a hat. It looks good on both of them and they would both love to wear it. But there are two of them and only one hat. What will they do? Jon Klassen's trademark minimalist illustrations carry all the expression that is needed to tell this story of wanting and sharing. A gem of a book to read, re-read and savour." * Julia Eccleshare Book of the Month October 2016, LoveReading * The highly anticipated final book in Jon Klassen's amusing and thought provoking "hat" trilogy [...] * Bookseller * A finely observed tale of friendship, sharing and generosity of spirit. Their shifting eyes say so much with so little you really feel the turtles emotions as one fights his need for the hat. A visual comedy i three parts will amuse with its deadpan humor. Really heart warming finale to the acclaimed hat trilogy. Quietly profound and very special. * South Wales Evening Post * "[...] yet another great picturebook written and illustrated by Jon Klassen. [...] the perfect close for Klassen's Hat Trilogy." * Irish Times, Children's Books of the Year recommended by Tarsila Kruse * "A delightful story, told to a greater degree in the turtles' shifty side-eyes, and has a more unusual ending than previous Hat stories, but still leaves the reader wondering." * Irish Times, Children's Books of the Year recommended by Olivia Hope * "A different but wholly satisfying and thought provoking ending to an outstanding collection of books. Not to be missed." * The School Librarian * "The sustained hilarity and depth of emotional dilemma Klassen manages to conjure from this simple scenario is astonishing." * Teach Primary * Mesmerising and full of heart, this is a picture book about self-confidence and love, and a radiant celebration of individuality. * Teach Primary *