"Be quiet!," "That's enough, David!," and "Go to your room!" are just some of the admonitions that David's mom yells at him while the round-headed dynamo barrels around the house making mischief. "Come back here, David," she exclaims as the gleeful little terror takes off, naked, down the street. In spite of his unruly ways, his mother assures him, "Yes, David, I love you."

In his Author’s Note, Shannon writes, "A few years ago, my mother sent me a book I made when I was a little boy. It was called No, David, and it was illustrated with drawings of David doing all sorts of things he wasn't supposed to do. The text consisted entirely of the words "no" and "David." (They were the only words I knew how to spell.) I thought it would be fun to do a remake celebrating those familiar variations of the universal "no" that we all hear while growing. Of course, "yes" is a wonderful word...but "yes" doesn't keep crayon off the living room wall."

Children will be impressed to note that a story Shannon wrote when he was their age could turn into a book that earned a Caldecott Honor for his ebullient paintings inspired by the drawings he did when he was five. Your young cut-ups can write and illustrate similar stories about their own recent misadventures. If they’re tired of hearing the word “no” from you, read them Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems, and they can get a bit of satisfaction in saying no to the nagging Pigeon for a change.


Themes: BEHAVIOR. HUMOROUS FICTION. MOTHERS AND SONS. PICTURE BOOKS FOR ALL AGES.