Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Bea Reviews A Thousand No's by DJ Corchin & Illustrated by Dan Dougherty


Publisher: Sourcebooks Explore
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: August 4th, 2020
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Google Books |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

This empowering picture book teaches readers that even great ideas sometimes get a NO―but that NO can actually help great ideas become the best ideas!

There was a little girl who had a great idea. She had the most amazing, superb, best idea ever!

NO? Wait, what do you mean NO? NO again?
What is she supposed to do with all these NO's?

NO after NO after NO come the little girl's way, twisting and squishing her idea. But by persevering, collaborating and using a little imagination, all those NO's become the building blocks for the biggest YES ever!

A Thousand NO's is a story about perseverance and innovation. It shows what amazing things can happen if we work with others and don't give up, and teaches kids not to let expectations of how things should be get in the way of what could be.


My Thoughts:

"No" is a hard word to hear, even for adults. For children, it can be nearly impossible. In "A Thousand No's", our unnamed protagonist has a big, wonderful, unspecified idea. And then she's told 'No". More and more "no's' come her way. It's disheartening, discouraging, frustrating, but she doesn't give up. She sees her idea changing with each "No" and realizes that that's not necessarily a bad thing. She also comes to realize that other people helping and contributing is a good thing.

The text is spare, and may not work for the under 4 crew but for older children, the book will be relatable. The artwork is clean and uncluttered, yet elements have lots of detail. Dougherty uses simple lines but also mixes fonts, sizes, and textures. The story is in black, gray, and white until the end when joy translates to color. The story is heavy on message but the children will enjoy the artwork and it should inspire discussion.




2 comments:

  1. I like this. I have succeeded at several things where I look back and think - how did I think I could do that? The answer is I had an idea and I didn't see "the box" which stopped others from doing it. I just saw a problem and a way to solve it so I did. Of course, I also look back and think - I never would have done that if I knew how much work it would take but now it's over I'm glad I did.

    Anne - Books of My Heart

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lol, I know what you mean. And it sounds like you have serious resilience and attitude. 😊

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