Wednesday Kirwan

First sentence: Big kids NO everything. There are small nos, and there are big nos. Loud nos. And quiet nos.

Premise/plot: This book celebrates toddlerhood?! Full of puns surrounding the word "no" (no/know). The point it is celebrating is that saying no is a big step to growing up. The scenes capture all the relatable everyday moments of life. The NO of not wanting to wear [particular] pants. The NO of a hangry tantrum. The NO of not wanting to take a bath. My favorite NO however is the "timid no" of a girl surrounded by squirrels after her snack.

My thoughts: The text is super-simple. It is the illustrations that carry the story--in my opinion. It is the illustrations that provide context, context, and more context. The text cannot stand alone, again this is just my opinion. Is no something to be celebrated? Maybe. Maybe not. Is it a reality for many/most? Probably. Definitely. Whether it is celebrated by parents or not, I think there are recognizable and relatable moments captured in the art.

Super-sensitive readers [aka monitors] should know there is cartoon nudity (nothing is seen) on one of the spreads. A little toddler [girl, presumably] is running AWAY from a bathtub.

I really enjoyed this one!… (meer)

Minerva is a sweet little girl who likes to be noticed. In fact, she is so used to being noticed by her family, she is sad when the family does not notice her on one particular day. Minerva was mad when she over slept, and no one noticed. She was mad when her dad did not notice her at breakfast. She was also mad that her mom and brother did not notice her sitting on the floor with them. Minerva thought no one ever noticed her. So she did things (bad things) to be noticed. She pulled the stuffing from dad's favorite chair. She picked the leaves from mom's plant. She peeled wallpaper from the wall in the hallway. Minerva poked her brother with a fork at dinner time. She licked her tongue out at her baby sister. Minerva's mom and dad still did not notice her. Minerva continued to do these things until she became sad. She built a fort from the cushions on the couch, climbed in, and began to cry. This time Minerva's dad noticed. In fact, he had noticed Minerva all day. He sat and talked with Minerva on the couch. He told her how important she was to him and how it was important to be noticed for good things, not bad things. Minerva understood and decided to to good things to be noticed. She helped set the table at dinner time (without being asked). She helped mom sort the laundry. Minerva even read her favorite book to her baby sister Keely. Minerva decided that she would be good from now on.… (meer)