"No" and "David" were the first words David Shannon learned how to spell. Shannon's Caldecott Honor Book
No, David! is based on a book he made as a child showing a kid doing all the things he isn't supposed to do. In the sequel
David Goes to School, it turns out that teachers say no, too. And in this third picture book, it's David's turn to talk back. What does he say when he gets in trouble? "I didn't mean to." (Skateboarding into a lamp table.) "It was an accident!" (Hitting a baseball into a window.) "I forgot!" (Happily walking down the street... in his underpants.) "But Dad says it!" (Boy in corner with mouth full of soap.) Of course, the cat-tail-pulling, burping, grape-juice-dropping, runny-egg-hating, out-of-control David wins us over in the end. A defiant "No, it wasn't me!" evolves into a guilt-ridden, late-at-night shout, "Yes! It
was me! I'm sorry. I love you, Mom." Awwww. Shannon's expressive, childlike paintings of the round-headed, shark-toothed David-in-trouble perfectly capture the manic joys of early boyhood. (Ages 3 and older).
That irrepressible fellow with the Charlie Brown head is back, trailing a whole new slew of disasters in his wake. In this follow-up to No, David! and David Goes to School, Shannon finally lets David get a word in edgewise as in "No! It's not my fault!" and "It was an accident!" In a series of hilarious snapshots of trouble-in-progress, David hurtles from one scrape to another. Anyone can sympathize with David's trials and tribulations, whether he is scowling at his breakfast ("Do I have to?"), pulling the cat's tail ("But she likes it!") or sitting sullenly on the bathroom floor, soap wedged firmly in mouth ("But Dad says it!"). The exuberant artwork crackles with energy and color (including backdrops in lime green and bittersweet orange), as Shannon carefully hews to a child's-eye view of the world (adults appear only as limbs and torsos). This memorable character is nothing short of a force of nature, from his scribbled eyes and hair to his shark-sharp teeth. In the end, it's a confession ("Yes! It was me!") that allows him a peaceful night's sleep, with a woman's tender hand and an "I love you, mom" hovering over his angelic (for now at least) round head. Readers will gladly call for "More, David!" Ages 3-up.
