A fun take on how enjoyable it can be to try new things.

Thanksgiving weekend family picture book read-aloud fun! (Book 4 of 13.)

A child who says "No!" to everything discovers how that might be limiting his enjoyment of life.

I'm a big fan of "No!" myself, so I'm saying "No!" to this book. And that gives me joy. ( )

First sentence: Oliver McSnow would always say no!
no matter what you asked him.
Did he brush is teeth? NO!
Was he hungry? NO!
Would he clean up his mess? NO!
Did he want to swing on the swings? NO!
Oliver said NO! so many times...his NO! started to grow.

Premise/plot: NO! Is All I Know stars a [stubborn] toddler named Oliver. NO is his word of choice for almost all situations. He does manage somehow someway to always say yes to macaroni and cheese. But perhaps his parents just don't ask him if he wants it. Each spread offers an opportunity to laugh. The no-situation is being slightly exaggerated, in my opinion.

My thoughts: I LOVED this one. Is it for kids? Is it for adults? Is it for everyone? Parents have at the very least two options--neither good for the exact-in-the-moment-nowness of a fit--laugh or cry. Can you find the humor--at some point in time--in the situation? Because, to be honest and fair, many fit-throwing situations are ridiculous....later. This book doesn't illustrate HOW his parents handle the no-ness of it all. This focuses solely on Oliver. [Which I think is probably the best call. A book about the parents deciding HOW to deal with Oliver would be a lot less funny. Though definitely realistic for them to come up with a game plan.) It is written as a comedy.

I do like that Oliver meets his cousin (who always says yes) and the situation begins to resolve. Is it realistic? No. Is it fun? Mostly. ( )