Working to become a librarian I have often heard fellow teachers ask our current librarian to only allow students to check books out that are at their reading level. This has often baffled me as I see library time as one of the few times students get to truly exercise freedom of choice in their reading materials. Although I do not put restrictions on the books my students choose to check out, I do need to be mindful that not everyone shares my same school of thought and that I should take this opportunity to discover some books within our library collection that would be high interest and considered academically a "good fit." This easy reader picture book just might check all those boxes with relatable characters, simple style and language, and engaging illustrations.
At the beginning of the story we meet two turtles who come upon a delightful discovery, a hat! The hat looks good on both of them. The problem is there is only one hat and there are two of them. It seems as though the only solution is to forget about the hat. As the turtles watch the sunset together and drift off to sleep dreaming about hats we can't help but wonder how deep the turtles' friendship goes. Will one turtle be able to keep the other's feelings in mind as he battles his desires for wanting the hat for himself? This universal problem will be an experience that every student will be able to connect with.
The color scheme along with the sparse rocks and cacti in the desert setting help readers focus on the characters. The triangle shelled turtle's desire to keep the hat is cleverly portrayed in the illustrations. The bright white hat draws the reader's attention to the focus of the turtles' attention. The position of the turtles' eyes allow the readers to pick up the non-verbal cues and what the turtles might be thinking versus what they are saying. Although they have made the decision to leave the hat behind the triangle shelled turtle pauses on the rock, looking back longingly.
The simple style and language Klassen uses with twin sentences is repetitive and predictable, perfect for early readers. When students are able to successfully decode one sentence they can use what they have learned from the previous sentence to read the next. Many high-frequency words are also used. When students are successful in using familiar sight words and reading strategies to decode sentences comprehension builds. With that success comes feelings of accomplishment as well as motivation for reading.
So...is this a good book? Although it hasn't been nationally recognized or won any literary awards this book does contain quality illustrations, pleasing illustrations, and characters whose experiences can mirror those of their readers. For these reasons I can determine that this is a good book and I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
Klassen, J. (2016). We found a hat. Candlewick Press.
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