A book review is an awesome way to find great stories and to read things you wouldn’t normally read. If you are anything like me the first thing I do before making a purchase is check out the reviews on Amazon! Even if I don’t buy it from there I look at the reviews.
It has been so fun for me to read the responses from all of the Teachers on what their favorite picture book is and why. I have actually gone to the library and checked out each one I don’t already have just to read to the kids! I’d love to write a book review on all of them. When I get them all in I am going to make a book list which includes each one. If you haven’t figured out yet children’s books are my jam!
Book Review
Diane Hills, KCS 2nd Grade Teacher, recommended our book this week.
No David! is a Caldecott Honor Book as well as a New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year. The story goes that when David Shannon was 5 years old he wrote a book and it said No David! on each page! As a parent and Grandparent, I can completely see one of my children or grandchildren doing something like this. The fact that he rewrote the book as an adult is fun and inspiring for me. As a parent it helps me remember that even on the worst of days, there is hope!
Ms Hills loves this book because it makes her laugh! It is a fun rollicking story of a young boy who gets into trouble. So in other words, your typical child. Throughout the book all David hears from his mother is “No, David!” “That’s enough, David!” “Settle down!” Some of his antics include writing on the wall, running naked down the road, pouring water over the side of the tub. I don’t know about you but my own children have done all of this at one time or another!
Another reason Ms Hills enjoys this book is because of the illustrations. These illustrations are full color acrylic paintings that are done in a stick figure, child like manner. Yet, at the same time he portrays David’s emotions across the expressions on his face in a way that is easily readable by children.
I think this book, like so many children’s books can be used as great teaching tools. The repetitive language, few words and simple vocabulary make this a great tool for emergent readers.
Extending the story
One of the things that comes to mind for me with this book would be to have your child create their ow book. Inspire them by telling them that David wrote his original version when he was five! Giving children paper large enough and segmented so they have room to write words on one part of the paper and draw their illustration on the other part is an ideal way to not only extend the book but also empower them to be as creative as they wish.
Ask children to use their imagination and allow them to write about something they do that they know is not OK is a good strategy. It is also helpful to give them a variety of mediums to use in their illustrations such as paint, markers, colored pencils etc. To finish be sure to talk about the lessons in the story such as how even though David does many things he shouldn’t and gets in trouble, his mother still loves him. You can also talk about why it’s not ok to do some of the things he’s doing and what his mother may be feeling.
Conclusion
This book has been one of my favorites since it was first published back in 1998. I used it in my classroom and it was a favorite of the children as well. I was very happy to see it on the list from teachers and couldn’t wait to share about it! It would make a great gift for a child and there is a Spanish version available as well as other books featuring David by David Shannon. Be sure to check them out!
“Readers won’t be able to resist taking a walk on the wild side with this little rascal, and may only secretly acknowledge how much of him they recognize in themselves.” ~Publishers Weekly
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