Today I would like to discuss a mentor text idea using the incredibly creative This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen.
First of all, if you have not yet read this book, go read it immediately! It is one of my favorite picture books!
With students of just about any age, I would use this as a mentor text to demonstrate how important pictures can be to storytelling. The entire story of This is Not My Hat is told partly in words and partly in pictures. If you don’t “read” the pictures along with the words, you might miss the inferences the author expects you to make throughout the story, leading to the final inference at the end.
Another author’s craft element demonstrated by this book is the concept of “show not tell” that is often hard for young readers to accomplish. This is a short picture book with one or two sentences per page, along with a picture. The final three pages only have pictures- no words. The author’s strategic use of both words and pictures help to tell the story concisely and humorously.
Have you used this, or other Klassen picture books, as mentor texts?
Previous Mentor Text posts:
Reflections on Leadership and Learning 
I too love this book and often take it with me when asked to cover a class at the last minute. The Dark, also by Jon Klassen is another good mentor text for confronting fears.
Thanks Becky! I haven’t read that one yet, but I will check it out!
Pingback: [Mentor Text Monday] Byrd Baylor | Reflections on Leadership and Learning