No, David!
"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."
Themes : BEHAVIOR. HUMOR. PARENT AND CHILD. PICTURE BOOKS FOR OLDER READERS.
CRITICS HAVE SAID
- Kids won’t be able to resist the rough-and-tumble David[‘s]…monster talent for getting into trouble.
–Newsweek - The vigorous and wacky full-color acrylic paintings portray a lively and imaginative boy whose stick-figure body conveys every nuance of anger, exuberance, defiance, and, best of all, the reassurance of his mother’s love. This book is perfect for reading aloud.
–School Library Journal - Shannon’s pen whisks over the double-page spreads in a flurry of energy, as he gains perspective on an image of a bare-bottomed David cavorting down a quiet suburban street or closes in on the boy’s face as he inserts a finger into his triangle nose, his button eyes tense with concentration, and perfectly round head looming larger than the pages.
–Publishers Weekly
IF YOU LOVE THIS BOOK, THEN TRY:
- Bang, Molly. When Sophie Gets Angry–Really, Really Angry… Scholastic, 1999.
- Bush, Timothy. Benjamin McFadden and the Robot Babysitter. Crown, 1998.
- Delton, Judy. I’m Telling You Now. Dutton, 1983.
- Fearnley, Jan. Watch Out! Candlewick, 2004.
- Feiffer, Jules. I’m Not Bobby! Hyperion, 2001.
- Hutchins, Pat. Where’s the Baby? Greenwillow, 1988.
- Jonell, Lynne. I Need a Snake. Putnam, 1998.
- Long, Melinda. How I Became a Pirate. Illus. by David Shannon. Harcourt, 2003.
- Marshall, James. The Cut-Ups. Viking, 1984.
- Shannon, David. David Gets in Trouble. Scholastic, 2002.
- Shannon, David. David Goes to School. Scholastic, 1999.
- Vail, Rachel. Sometimes I’m Bombaloo. Scholastic, 2002.
- Wells, Rosemary. Noisy Nora. Dial, 1997.
- Willems, Mo. Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. Hyperion, 2003.