I Want My Hat Back Reviews Summary

Artwork and Illustrations

Pros:

• "Jon Klassen has exceptional talent at conveying the thoughts and emotions of his characters purely through their eyeballs!"
• "I just thought it contained some of the slickest art I'd seen in a picture book in a long while."
• "The Artwork is excellent."
• "So simple and the artwork is amazing."
• "The book is beautifully crafted."
• "The illustrations here are wonderful."
• "The illustration is fantastic."

Cons:

• "But the repetitive words and non-colorful illustrations were a disappointment."
• "The book arrived slightly damaged on two corners."
• "The material on this one is a little bit different from the others books which make this one more flexible and more easy to rip."
• "I purchased this new, yet the legs have been folded over and have creases."
• "Really disappointed. It arrived with a tear on the front and a scuffed corner."
• "It seems a thick paper for me, so it might not be durable."
• "No one in my family thought this looked anything like a bear."

Story and Content

Pros:

• "HIGHLY recommended--especially for adults with a great sense of humor."
• "The book itself is funny, cute, and has great illustrations."
• "Easily the best kids book I've ever seen and certainly one to put a grin on both childs & adults faces."
• "This is great book my children have enjoyed for years, well past the age range it was written for."
• "It's a proper tale."
• "The story is highly entertaining for adults as well as children."
• "This book is well written, smart, and very funny."

Cons:

• "What I find objectionable is the inference of murder and lying."
• "Both the rabbit and bear are bad characters and there is nothing positive to say about the story."
• "I guess it's supposed to be cute that a rabbit stole, lied, then got murdered?"
• "The bear resorts to violence to get his hat back."
• "This story is disturbing and one I will not read to my children."
• "It has stealing, lying, murder over a missing hat with no redemption."
• "Characters lie, others go missing (it’s presumed they’ve been eaten/murdered), and there is absolutely no resolution at the end."

Humor and Morals

Pros:

• "They are so smart and encourage discussion about the story."
• "It teaches a very good moral about stealing, lying, and how to subtly identify when someone is trying to cover something up."
• "The opportunity for philosophical discussion ranges from the simple right/wrong to the more complex thoughts around appropriate punishment!"
• "It also opened up a discussion on how wildlife really works, and that alone is a good thing."
• "A brilliant lesson in picking out a liar with beautiful illustrations & such clever facial expressions."
• "Such a good conversation starter to use with children on the topic of ethics and grey areas of wrong vs. right."
• "The wrongdoing (plenty of that presented here) allows an adult to ask questions which can get a child thinking about the consequences of stealing, lying, and seeking justice on our own terms and outside the law."

Cons:

• "Where in any young children's book is it okay to murder?"
• "This book shouldn't be read to children."
• "Too much of an adult spin on humor, IMHO."
• "Kids will not get this book, nor should they."
• "Terrible for a child, or anyone really."
• "The very clear lessons from this book are that you should lie and you should get revenge."
• "This is not OK for kids."

Quality and Durability

Pros:

• "Product was exactly how it was described on the website."
• "This book arrived in perfect condition and is one of the funniest and most charming children’s books that we have ever read."
• "The pages and cover are of good quality, and altogether it's quite possibly the best thing I've ever bought in my life."
• "This book arrived in perfect condition."
• "No problems with delivery, came very soon after ordered."
• "This book arrived in perfect condition."
• "The illustrations are simple but beautiful."

Cons:

• "Wish I could get our money back."
• "I am reviewing this at 3 stars because upon deliver I noticed that the pages are all bent."
• "I'm sorry to say it comes across like a very talented illustrator and parent just thought I could write a children's book to go with my art and this is the result."
• "Got this as a gift for my nephew, love the book, love the author. I don’t love how the book arrived as I didn’t order a used copy."
• "I would urge caution buying this product for a young child: I think the storyline is a bit 'dark'."
• "Some find this an excellent book and highly recommend it. I simply do not understand."
• "People should know this books teaches kids to lie, steal, seek revenge and murder."