AmazTING AmazTING

I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen is not only a story about the consequences of lying, but a story that leaves many open ends for interpretation of the story. It is false to assume that this book teaches the consequences of lying. However, many have regarded this book as a simple children’s book, which is not. This is a book for young adults. Although the content of the book is lacking, there are many different paths that this book could have taken. Firstly, this book shows the consequences of outrage. The bear’s outrage led him into something that he never intended to do, murdering the rabbit. It is likely that the bear will continue to regret this choice throughout his life. Nextly, the book has an implication that in this world, lying is never successful. As such, it implants the ideas of what could happen to the bear after the story ends. How will he speak to the rabbit’s family? Will he continue to lie, regret and guilt piling up inside of him. Will he turn himself into the police? How will this affect his life from now on forward. Although we may never know, it is likely that this bear’s life will be forever altered by this unfortunate encounter. Finally, it is likely that the rabbit had no malicious intent. He likely only wanted to play with the bear, or at the very least garner some attention. Could this rabbit have had some kind of preconditioning in his life that led him to this point? Was a rabbit’s life really worth a hat? The answer that most people’s conscience will come to is no. This book teaches absolutely nothing. We learn of no trials and tribulations faced. All we find is guilt, despair, tragedy, and brutal loss of life (and possible discrimination). However, this book successfully reflects the real world and does well to teach young adults about how their world will be.