Never Ever

by Jo Empson

Nothing ever happens to me. Never, ever. Ever, never. Nothing. Or does it? Jo Empson's debut picture book Rabbityness was published to universal acclaim in 2012. Never, Ever displays her inimitable sense of fun, her love of storytelling and surprise, and her delight in the magical world of the imagination.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Humor, Kids

32 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2012

Reviews

[Zahra tavakoli · Rating 3 out of 5]

داستانی تصویری راجع به دختری که احساس کسالت و بی حوصلگی دارد و ادعا می کند هیچ وقت و هرگز هیچ اتفاق هیجان انگیزی در زندگی اش نیفتاده در حالی که تصاویر کتاب چیز دیگری می گویند. خیلی مرا یاد بعضی ها انداخت.

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm fond of a book in which the protagonist says "nothing ever happens to me" even as the illustrations make it clear that an awful lot does happen. I'll be looking for more by Empson.

Library copy

[Sarah Beth Stair · Rating 2 out of 5]

Summary:
"Never Ever" follows the life of a little girl who claims nothing ever happens to her, and her life is so boring and uneventful. However, the reader can see that there is so much going on in her life that she misses because her eyes are closed. She misses all the amazing things around her, and is even unphased by the alligator that eats her and then spits her out.

Analysis:
The layout and presentation of the story was really cool. The illustrations are interesting to look at and it was really fun how it had a folded out page. However, the story and words were almost too simple, with just the same repetition over and over. It also suddenly got dark when the girl was eaten by the alligator, and it kind of scared me to be honest. I feel like that would be scary for a child to read. The irony was pretty cute, though.

How I will use it:
I can help teach children to open their eyes to the world around them. It can be easy to feel closed off from the world and not notice how beautiful and exciting your life is as a child or even as an adult, but this book teaches you to beautifully and with humor.

[Brittany Hart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing never ever ever ever ever happens to her. But is that true? Open this story and find out what "never ever never ever ever" interesting things happen.
I enjoyed this read, however, if I over analyze it, it's just like people in today's world thinking that everything is so boring but they're just blind to the blessing around them.
I would probably just use this in the classroom as a random read aloud.

[Maggie Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is about how a little girl believes nothing fun ever happens to or around her, when things are happening but her attitude doesn't allow her to see them.

I didn't really like this book. I believe children would loose interest as did I. Also it made me frustrated that she couldn't see what all was happening around her.

I could use this book to show children how to act and how to keep their eyes open and see all the cool things going on around them.

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting concept.
The little girl complains that nothing exciting ever happens to her. She's so focused on complaining that she misses everything happening around her - a flying pig, a giant gorilla, etc.
The premise works but the story line falls flat.

[Colorado Buck · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting concept. this little girl thinks nothing interesting ever happens to her. but it does all around her every day. pigs are flying and other creatures are popping up everywhere. ignorance is bliss i guess.

[Kelly Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the illustrations in this book and the surprise at the end. A very silly and entertaining read.

[Reyhaneh br]

زندگی هیچ‌وقت کافی نیست. حتی «آخیش‌هاش»‌ هم لحظه‌ایه! این رو از الان یاد بگیر بچه.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never ever have I read a book that says so much with the same words repeated over and over. Jo Empson does so much with so little. Just as most kids think that their lives aren't as exciting as the stories in books and in movies, this little red-haired feels nothing exciting happens to her. If she paid attention to all of the crazy things happening around her she would notice that her day is pretty exciting. Not many kids get to say they see pigs fly, sit on the head of a gorilla and are swallowed whole by an alligator.

What appear to be crayon and watercolor make this book come alive with kid-like drawings that have much more to them than first meets the eye. I found myself having to go back to a page before when a new creature would appear almost out of nowhere. Upon further investigation, I would see where the creature really was in the previous spread.

This could be a fun book to read to elementary school kids and have them draw their most exciting day, or how an ordinary day could be extraordinary if they really paid attention.

[Chris Evans · Rating 2 out of 5]

Never Ever by author Jo Empson is a early childhood picture book. It is a story about the child who nothing ever ever ever seams to happen to. If they would only look around they would see that the most spectacular things really are taking place. It teaches a good lesson that if we would just pay attention we could see so much more. I would use this as a circle time read. it is very interesting as rhyming books go, you keep wondering what is going to sneak up next. The illustrations are better than some of the other books I have read lately. I did not see that it had won any awards but as i usually have seen that seldom makes me like the book.

[Kathy Ellen Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really LOVED the premise of this book.
Never EVER does anything interesting happen to the main character, until, it does!
The illustrations are almost magical.

I think I wanted a little more story.
I LOVE the fold out at the end though.
And the illustrations are lively and look effortless.

A fun read and kids would have a good time making up their own story to it too!

[Jean-Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

After I read this I thought it would be a great book to inspire kids to create their own "Never Ever" book. Because the story is mostly told through its picture instead of its words, young children could draw what would never ever happen to them or the character that they create. UFOs, superheroes, dinosaurs...their imaginations could take them in all sorts of directions.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Jo Empson uses repetition to show nothing never ever exciting happens and then uses total illustrations that this bored little girl should open her eyes and see what she's missing!

The art wonderfully moves this story along.

I support independent bookstores please use this link to find one near you or to purchase this book:
http://www.indiebound.org/book/978184...

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book for imaginative reading. Not much vocabulary ("Nothing exciting ever happens to me. Never, ever." is the extent of it), but great opportunities for asking questions and imagining what's happening in the situations. Beautiful and whimsical illustrations, perfect for the fun tone of the book.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming watercolor illustrations accompany sparse text muttered (mostly) by a complaining child who blithely believes nothing ever happens to her. The utterly fantastic and imaginative characters that people her world will invite children in for one-on-one & larger storytime readings. Highly recommend.

[Library Quine · Rating 3 out of 5]

According to the little girl in the story, nothing exciting EVER happens to her. However, the pictures tell us a different story. The watercolour illustrations are lovely, but to the younger listener, this book could be a little confusing.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing exciting ever happens to her. Never ever. As she walks along, she doesn't notice the things around her. She just complains that nothing ever happens. Never ever, ever. What do you think? Never EVER???

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is a perfect read aloud for the preschool-kindergarten crowd. The illustrations carry most of the story and will bring giggles of delight as exciting events happen unbeknownst to the main character. Very fun!

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little girl proclaims that nothing exciting ever happens to her, but the watercolor illustrations betray her and reveal that not only do pigs fly in her presence, but wooly mammoths double as bunk beds.

This imaginative book would make a great read aloud for PreK-2.

[Marissa Elera · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am in love with Empson's debut picture book Rabbityness, and this book has some of the same whimsy, but there are bits at the end that might confuse the very young. Overall very funny and well done, though.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little girl repeats that nothing ever happens to her as the illustrations show the exciting things that are happening to her. It would be a fun book to read with a kid and let them see the things that are going on around her.

[The Library Lady · Rating 1 out of 5]

Might have given this a 2, as it's slight but might appeal to older kids. But the last page foldout means this book's shelf life will be shortened, which makes my investment of library money in it even more depressing.

[Scottsdale Public Library]

Imaginatively shows how we miss exciting things always happening.
-Monty K.

Check it out!
Scottsdale Public Library

[Danielle Mccoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

"my" kids enjoyed pointing out all the things that were happening that the girl didn't notice. Lots of giggles from them. More of interactive book then a read to book, which is good. It opens up their imagination. I found it boring to read as never ever were the majority of the words.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read for younger toddlers. Read & reviewed for The Bookbag http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/i...

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a lot of words...actually two are repeated many times (never ever) - but fun concept - kids would enjoy this as a read aloud

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little book with a surprise at the end.

[Lara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really like the idea of this one, and the illustrations are cute, but... I think I wanted more payoff somehow. It just ended up not being as funny as I thought it could have been, maybe.

[Hillary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for a silly storytime