No!

by David McPhail

No!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, War, Activism

48 pages, Paperback

First published March 17, 2009

About the author

David was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts and attended the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. While there, he began illustrating. He is now an award-winning author and illustrator of nearly 200 books beloved by children, parents and librarians across the United States. McPhail has garnered many prestigious awards, including a New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book of the Year for Mole Music in 2001. McPhail’s other books include First Flight, which the New York Times praised as “hilarious and helpful”; and Lost!, which was chosen as an American Bookseller Pick of the Lists.

McPhail has four children, three stepchildren, and is a proud grandfather. He is married to Jan Waldron, with whom he has written and illustrated several books. He lives in Rye, New Hampshire.

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this in the picture books for older children section of our library. A boy goes to post a letter, war planes fly overhead bombing, some armed soldiers break down a door of a young families house, a tank blows up another, an old man is attacked for defacing a propaganda poster. When the boy reaches the post box an older boy blocks his way so he shouts No, three times. Everything changes, the soldiers bring the family gifts, the old guy is helped up, the war plane drops a bicycle down on a parachute.

I can see that the book, with an afterword from Amnesty International has tried to have the worthy message of speaking out against wrong doing but this is just too simplistic. It also suggests that these bad things happened because nobody firmly said no, meaning the victims allowed this, were they to blame? It does seem to suggest that war could easily be stopped too, if only some victims would speak out? I thought this wasn't a good way to get across the message and it's even sending a bad message, that the responsibility is with the victim to stop the violation rather than the perpetrator not to act that way. I found the illustrations creepy and reminded me of some of the creepier Maurice Sendak illustrations I have seen.

[Betsy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Irksome. Didactic and preachy. The kind of thing where you understand what the author was getting at, and maybe under normal circumstances you'd agree, but the presentation does nobody any favors. Better books about bullying and peace have come along. This one can be avoided.

[Dale · Rating 2 out of 5]

Supposedly a book about bullying and standing up to bullies, but it all seemed a bit implausible to me. I think war was probably to harsh a comparison to make in this book.

[Yesenia · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this picture book, you follow a young boy who writes a letter to the president and is walking to the mailbox to mail it. While on his way to the mailbox, the illustrations show happenings of war going on behind him, fighter jets, fires, and soldiers checking doors. When we makes it to the mailbox, there is another boy who bullies him and takes his letter, the little boy shouts “No!” And gets his letter back and is able to mail it. This book shows examples of bullying and war happening, I think younger children can relate to bullying happening in multiply ways around them, as the war is portrayed in the book. Even though there are no words in the book, I think this read would be better for older children that know more about war.

[kirsten · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like this book in theory. The art was nice and I thought the boy in the red hat was adorable. But it's naive to the point of being insulting. Yes, teaching kids the importance of the word "no" is important. And maybe if this book focused on school yard bullies it could have been better. But not everyone will listen to that word and the idea that soldiers would stop hurting people just because they said no and the war would seemingly stop feels dangerous.

I really appreciate what this book is trying to say and the first images of war are powerful. But saying "no" doesn't solve everything.

[Sasha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Way too naive and kind of insulting to kids. Just because you said no to a bully doesn't mean that the soldiers breaking into your neighbor's house are now giving them presents.

It's a no for me.

[Cricket Muse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly, this MCPhail story received strong negative responses from readers. Some see its presentation as didactic and the illustrations a bit overbearing, even “creepy,” yet the almost wordless story resonates with emotion that does indeed generate some sort of response—it is not a story to be ignored.

Some say the message places the burden on the victim to stop violence.
There is also commentary that the perpetrators are not held responsible for their actions.
Yet, the shift in the story comes when the young boy says, “no.” He says it forcefully but without violence. That one word changes the overall story arc from one of oppression to celebration.

McPhail’s seemingly simple story sets up the opportunity for a deeper discussion about standing up to injustice without resorting to violence or how one person can make a difference.

The young boy’s letter to the president sets up a resonance of applying the Golden Rule to life and creates a moment of reflection.

What is most interesting about the illustration style, beyond its similarity to Sendak, is how the setting is reminiscent of Europe, yet the boy writes to the President—the address is hidden so to a president of the USA or to a country? This gives it a global appeal.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure what I think about this one. I suppose it's all how you look at it--it could be seen as blaming the victims for not standing up for themselves, whether they are victims of bullying or of war. Or, it could be seen as a manifestation of the slogan "War Is Over (if You Want it)"--we choose our behavior, and we can choose to behave in acts of aggression or acts of friendship and peace. The world looks a lot better when we choose peace.

Personally, I would also say "No" to the violence inherent in the butcher shop that is depicted, but not commented on, in the book. We're doing better when we stop engaging in violence toward innocent animal victims as well.

[James Potts · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very very interesting. It only has one word in the inter book. And that word is "NO!". This book is mainly a picture book. It follows a young boy in a red hat. It is showing all the bad things happening around the boy until he finally say no and the whole story changes. This book has a different type of message to it. I would recommend this book be "read" by and older crowd. This would be a great discussion book in the classroom setting.

[Mono Liso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me encanta este libro. De alguna manera las ilustraciones me remontan al tipo de animación que había en mi infancia.
La historia es poderosa y nos habla de una posible mirada infantil sobre la guerra, la cual, no por eso es menos contundente ni crítica.

Mientras el personaje de esta historia está decidido a entregar una carta al buzón, la guerra sucede.

[BiblioBickie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only one word, "No," appears in this otherwise pictures-only book. Uttered bravely, "No!" changes the course of the story. Use to illustrate the power of speaking up and standing up to bullies, either at the mailbox or on the worldwide stage.

[Wilde Sky · Rating 2 out of 5]

A boy stands up to violence.

Good central message, but given the level of violence around and the fact that most perpetrators don't care this book was an order of magnitude too simplistic.

Reading time around ten minutes.

[Ingrid]

Está bien, muy cortito pero con buen mensaje. Lo encontré en la biblioteca, está dedicado a los maestros, así que tenía que leerlo:)

[🐣 · Rating 4 out of 5]

book without words but filled with meaning.

teacher note: good for using as way to talk about bullying/kindness. includes everyone - especially good for ELA pupils.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story that teaches kids how to stand up to bullies. Moreover, it's a story that likens bullies to countries that beat up other countries. Hate bullying but support war? This book isn't for you. Actually, it is for you. Go. Read it, now.

No! is brilliant. The only word in this book is "No!" which is genius, as bullies often target the silent, shy, and passive--people who, the bully knows, aren't likely to stand up for themselves. The majority of No! follows a little boy as he silently walks to a mailbox down the street. As he approaches his destination, the boy quietly ignores the atrocities surrounding him--the planes bombing buildings in the distance, police beating up an old man, soldiers pillaging a home. When he arrives at the mailbox, a bigger boy springs up and knocks the hat from his head. The smaller boy shouts, "No!" When the bigger boy says, "No?" the smaller boy gets in his face and shouts, louder, "NO!" and the bully backs off.

No! works on a practical level, as well as a symbolic one. Getting in bullies' faces, shouting, making a scene--that's what stops them. That, oftentimes, is the only thing that stops them. Being silent, looking the other way, and ignoring bullies only encourages them. Silence doesn't work with bullies, and it doesn't work with abusive governments. If you don't like what governments or corporations are doing, you have to say so. You have to be loud about it. You have to write letters and vote. Sometimes you have to hit the streets and literally shout, "NO!"

I love this book. I wish my kids were old enough to love it too; it will definitely be a part of their library some day.

[Catalina · Rating 4 out of 5]

“NO!” by David McPhail is one of the books that could help open spaces for discussion about justice and structural issues. The book depicts (literally) a child experiencing systematic structural violence in forms of armed conflict, robbery, poverty, and generally acts of war. The only word in the book is the word “NO!”, and the first time it is employed is when the protagonist experience personal level violence: when he is bullied by an older boy who won’t let him put a letter in the mailbox. The child refuses to be part of violence by using “NO” to speak against injustice. Upon his return home, he witnesses the (unfortunately) magic reparation of the system he had just seen crumble apart on his way to the postbox. The book can be useful in the sense that it creates a space for imagination, where children can make what they want of the images in the book, and they are not being ‘told’ like in other books what the images are supposed to mean. Furthermore, the ‘magical’ transformation of the situation in the book can also be beneficial, if used properly, as the children just see that through nonviolent resistance (the word ‘no’) anything can change. Also, the book teaches children that individuals have a lot of power and they can impact their surroundings if they so wish. “No!” not only creates a space for children to draw connections between structural and personal violence but it also shows that individuals can and should act against them.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young boy sets out to deliver a letter and on his way is faced with all sorts of war actions including bombing, troops, and tanks. When he is bullied by a larger boy, he speaks out and stops it. This nearly wordless picture book only has a single word, repeated three times in different tones. The illustrations in McPhail’s classic style paired with the single word make this a very powerful book about the power of one voice, one word, one person.

I am a fan of wordless books because so often as here illustrations can say volumes more than a page of text. McPhail has created a book that talks of war more powerfully than many long treatises on the topic. Even better, this war is accessible to children who can understand the horror being shown but then will be amazed and relieved at the power of a dissident. I especially appreciate the final pages in the book which show the tools of war being used in peaceful ways. Lovely.

Recommended as a book to start a discussion. This is not a story time book but one that should be used when talking about war and peace in depth or for a family to read together and discuss.

[Marissa Reyes]

The book NO! by David McPhail is a well illustrated book that portrays the feelings of helplessness that a young child feels in this vast world. This text is designed for advanced readers because even though the pictures are childlike the idea behind them are complex. As the child walks down the street he witnesses signs of bullying from adults, however, he believes he cannot do anything because he is little and no one would listen to a child. But as the child reaches the mailbox an older child begins to pick on him so he stands up for himself because enough is enough and if he could not stop the bullying from adults he can sure stop the bullying from a child. So as the child walks back down the street the sights of bullying disappears and peace takes its place and all it took was a simple NO! to change everything. This text is important to introduce to children because if they are a victim of bullying or are a bystander to it they feel as if their voice will not make a difference because they are so little. So this book will instill the courage a child needs to stand up and say NO! when something is not right.

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those who are ready to throw up their hands at all of the anger, hatred and violence in the world today, this nearly-wordless book has so much to say. As the little boy in this book is walking down the street to mail a letter, he faces so many acts of war and brutality. A bully at the mailbox is the last straw, and finally the word "No" is repeated three times. This book was originally created as a response to the growing amount of bullying that takes place in neighborhoods and schools. On the book jacket the author says, "When I read recently of one teacher's struggle to end bullying on the playground, I was moved, and angered. How can we expect children to stop bullying when adults can't seem to? Surely children must be aware of what goes on in the world around them?" The illustrations along with the word "No" have the potential to kick off some great discussions. It's also a great example of storytelling, using just one word. I'm really looking forward to sharing this book with my students.

[Christiane · Rating 5 out of 5]

An almost wordless fable about a small boy setting out to mail a letter and witnessing heartbreaking acts of violence on the way (a plane dropping bombs, faceless soldiers breaking down a door). When he gets to the mailbox a bully threatens him and he yells "NO!" His no stops not only the bully but all the evil that is surrounding him. It's a deeply moving book. McPhail writes that he was moved to write this book when he read about a teacher's struggle to end bullying on the playground: "How can we expect children to stop bullying when adults can't seem to? Surely children must be aware of what goes on in the world around them?" I think this is a wonderful book to share with a child, though I'm not certain it belongs in the picture book section. I'd love to know what other people think!

[Catherine Woodman]

THis is a book that could win the Caldecott award--not so much because i think it is so great, but because it is illustrations only--the author apparently wanted to write a book about empowering kids to put a stop to bullying, that when they walk by atrocities it allows them to continue and when you say no forcefully, repeatedly, and when you really mean it, the force of that emotion is powerful enough to turn some tides....well, maybe....but it does feel a little bit like blaming the victim, and there are situations where this doesn't work at all and can really land you in alot of trouble (or at certain times in certain places, dead). So I am weakly pro on this--it is a good book for very young children and you can talk about what to do about bullying from an early age with this as an aide, and that part I am totally down with.

[Ying Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Wordless
Copyright: 2009

A little boy writes a letter and wants to send it out. On his way to the mail box, he sees the invading tanks and combat aircraft on the street as well as several rude soldiers intruding houses and attacking people. As he is about to put the letter in the mail box, an older boy stops him with impolite acts. The little boy yells “No” three times to the older boy to stop the about-to-happen bullying. Though “No” is the only word shown in the book, the pictures deliver a strong message to readers that we should make this world a peace place by stopping any types of bullying, be they wars or playground fights. This book could be used for teaching social justice and respect.

[Jocelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genre: wordless book
Copyright: 2009

A little boy is heading to mail box in order to send his mail out. On the way to the mail box, he sees violence happened everywhere on the street, such as soldiers attacks people,and the tank destroys houses. When he almost gets the mail box, an older boy stops him with violent action. He firmly yelled three times "No!" to the older boy. The older boy then stops the violent action. Moreover, all violent actions the little boy sees on the street stop as well. The story only has one word "No", but it conveys an important message to readers. For dealing with such bullying and violence, saying NO is very important, and people should stop all violence and make the world peace. The book is good for teaching social justice and violence prevention.

[Dulce]

Sigue sorprendiéndome que muchos seres humanos se tomen el tiempo de digitalizar información, divulgarla y no cobrar nada por ello.

Encontré en la red Pinterest un sitio en el que hay 80 libros de LIJ que se encuentran (o deben de) en la biblioteca del aula de acuerdo a lo que la SEP tiene registrado.

En presentación electrónica he podido leer las imágenes de esta historia llamada ¡No! La idea central es que los niños puede detener la violencia.

He narrado la historia a los chicos de primero y segundo de primaria y soy incapaz de describir con palabras el gusto que les ha provocado.

A esos papás que dicen que a los niños ya nada les sorprende les tengo una noticia: ellos siguen impresionándose con buenas historias.

[Ashley Nunn-Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely wonderful book.

In simple terms that anyone can understand, McPhail tackles the weighty subject of war and its effects on people. What's more, he shows us what we can do to stand up and say NO.

I read this with my 2 3/4 year old son and he totally got it. We talked about the negative effects in the first half of the book, what the boy did to say No to the bully and then the positive things that we can do instead to help one another in the second half. Because of its hopeful message, this book can be read with even the youngest children to begin a discussion of war, bullying and how to take a stand.

Perfect.

[Kate Hastings · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wordless picture book shows a boy observing war planes bombing, soldiers blasting in doors, and a policeman beating a graffiti artist. When a bully tires to beat up the boy trying to mail a letter, the boy shouts NO at the injustice of it all. The following pages show how the world changes when people say "No." Police socialize and help people, soldiers give presents to people, planes drop a bike the boy needs to get around, and the bully helps him ride. It takes a lot of moral courage to speak out against injustices, but if everyone did it, the world would be a better place.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wordless book with the themes of persistence in the face of adversity, and hope in a time of conflict. A boy sets off to put a letter in the mailbox and all around him along the way he's bombarded with acts of warfare: bombs going off in the distance, soldiers storming into a house, and stealth planes flying overhead. He calmly continues along, but we sense his inner tension. Sure enough, when he faces a challenge to his task, he responds with a forceful explosion: "NO!" This is a good one for older readers, grades 3 and way up.

[Sherry]

Another wonderful picture book by David McPhail, "No" (2009) is short on words and long on visual story. McPhail's illustrations show us a city in western Europe during WWII, and just how strong one boy's stance against hatred and agression can be. Young picture book readers will understand one message: that standing up for yourself and saying no to bullies brings positive change. Older readers will understand its global message as well.

[Randie D. Camp, M.S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the first page we see a little boy writing a letter. Then he leaves home to deliver the letter. The images show a city a war---faceless soliders, tanks, guns. The boy falls victim to a bully and finally screams, "NO!". After the boy delivers the letter, the violence in the images diminish and good things begin to happen. On the last page, we see the letter the boy wrote addressed to the President.

A powerful book about saying "NO!" to violence.

[Jodie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wordless (well almost) book about bullying that is set up in a way that shows a war taking place. David McPhail wrote on the back cover his reason behind the book. How can children learn not to bully when adults seem to do this. Would definitely make sure this was used with older readers who would understand this. Younger readers might be successful, but I can see a lot of explaining having to take place.