This is not my hat

A fish has stolen a hat.
And he'll probably get away with it.
Probably.
 
I fell in love with this book at Foyles, when we were there a few weeks ago and was fortunate enough to get hold of it whilst it was still in hardback. It is just wonderful. Look at this delightful little guy, with the stolen hat. How much can be conveyed by so little - the haste with which he is swimming away shown by a few little bubbles; the guilt and worry obvious in just one tiny eye. Magic!
 
As he swims away to hide, he assures himself that he will get away with it, for all kinds of reasons, and we are with him. Until . . . we realise that the owner is on his trail.
 
There is someone who has seen me.
But he said he wouldn't tell anyone which way I went.
So I'm not worried about that.
(The reader of course knows better - see extra photo - again, just look at that eye and how much it conveys!)
 
The end is inevitable (see extra photo) and there is no sign of the little fish.
 
A real joy of a picture book, where the pictures are more than illustrations; they tell their own story and the reader/listener can surmise what is going on all the time. A book for adults to enjoy alongside the child, so it doesn't matter if they have to read it again and again and again.
 

THIS IS NOT MY HAT - Jon Klassen (2012)
 Jon Klassen is a Canadian writer and illustrator of children's books. He won both the American and British awards for children's book illustration with his book: I Want My Hat Back.