No, David!
| Illustrator | David Shannon |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | David Shannon |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Caldecott Honor Book |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Published | September 1, 1998 |
| Publisher | Blue Sky Press |
| Pages | 32 |
| Awards | Caldecott Honor Book, ALA Notable Child Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon title, School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, New York Times Best Illustrated Book List |
| ISBN | 0-590-93002-8 |
No, David! is a 1998 children's picture book created by David Shannon.
No, David! started out as a homemade book that Shannon wrote when he was five years old about the eponymous boy named David who did bad deeds. Years later, he decided to publish a remake of his childhood book.
Plot
[change | change source]This story, portrayed as a picture book, is about a young boy named David who is often told “no” by his mother. David is an energetic and mischievous child, and throughout the story, David is constantly engaging in antics that always lead to his mother’s disapproval.
On the first illustration, the text reads, "David's mother always said, 'No, David!'". The first illustration depicts David using crayons to draw on the living room wall.
Throughout its illustrations, this book pictures the various unapproved activities that David participates in, such as trying to snag a cookie from the cookie jar, tracking mud on the carpet, splashing water on the floor, running outside naked, pounding pans, playing with his food, chewing with his mouth open, jumping on his bed (while being sent to his room), picking his nose, making a mess with his toys, and so on. With each mischievous activity, David received disapproval and a reprimanding “No, David!” for his actions. The story concludes with a final activity. The final straw comes where David plays baseball in the house, even though his mother tells him not to, and then shatters a flower vase and a glass ballerina. This results in David receiving a timeout on a chair in the corner.
David feels bad for causing damage with his rowdiness. When he is in time out, a tear falls down his cheek. Finally, the story ends with David’s mother embracing him saying “Yes David... I love you!"
Sequels
[change | change source]David Goes To School (1999)
[change | change source]Published one year after the first book in the series, David Goes To School follows David's mischievous antics during his time at school, that always gets him scolded by his teacher. The first illustration depicts David running headlong down the school hallway; with the caption on it reading "David's teacher always said: 'No, David! No pushing. No yelling. No running in the halls.'"
David arrives at his classroom late just as classes have already begun. He dances around the classroom, when his teacher tells him to sit down at his desk. Other illustrations in the book show David committing a variety of other misbehaviors at school, such as chewing gum in class, forgetting to raise his hand before speaking, failing to keep his hands to himself (while using paints), staring out the window, cutting in line, starting a food fight in the cafeteria, staying outside alone when recess is over, being noisy during story time, requesting to go to the restroom (again?!), and so on. Finally, when the teacher catches David drawing on his desk, she gives him an after-school detention. David is sent to clean all the desks in the classroom. When he is finished, the teacher proudly gives him a gold star for his diligence and allows him to go home.
David Gets In Trouble (2002)
[change | change source]The third book in the series, David Gets In Trouble continues the story of David's antics, but this time the story is told from David's perspective. According to the author's note, the word "no" is also a part of David's vocabulary; David himself believes that this word means his unwillingness to take responsibility for his actions. The first illustration depicts David with a halo hovering above his head—an image intended to demonstrate his feigned innocence to the reader. The caption beneath the drawing reads: "When David gets in trouble, he always says: 'No! It’s not my fault!'"
The book's illustrations depict David engaging in a wide variety of mischief such as skateboarding in the house, breaking a window with a baseball, refusing to eat breakfast, going outside in his underwear (he just forgot his pants), arriving at school without his homework done (his dog ate it), goofing around during class pictures, eating his dog's food, pulling his cat's tail, dropping a glass of juice, getting his mouth washed out with soap for repeating a swear word he heard from his dad, belching at the dinner table, stealing a piece of cake by the handful, and so on.
The final few illustrations show a contrite David in bed, admitting that he did, in fact, commit all these misdeeds. He offers his apologies, after which his mother tucks him in for the night. In the very last illustration, David says: "I love you, Mom."
Diaper David series (2005)
[change | change source]The Diaper David books, a prequel to the No, David! book series, are a series of three board books that follow the mischief of a baby David. They are:
- Oh, David! - This book follows David's antics as a baby, such as spilling cereal (depicted on the cover), making a mess with toilet paper, defecating in his diaper, and flatly refusing to eat a spoonful of baby food. In contrast to its illustrations, the book ends with David's mom saying, "Oh, David, I love you," as she reads a book to David.
- David Smells! - This book introduces the five senses in David's signature style: he energetically pets his dog to explore touch; licks a dirty lollipop to discover taste; plays loudly with his toys to experience hearing; soils his diaper once again to learn about smell; and plays peek-a-boo to explore sight.
- Oops! - This book tells the story of David’s “first words”: the illustrations, depicting his antics, correspond perfectly to these words. They are: ball, dog, ride, eat, bath, and mama.
It's Christmas, David! (2010)
[change | change source]The fourth book in the series, It's Christmas, David! follows David's mischief during the Christmas season. The first illustration of the book shows a distressed David holding a piece of coal. The caption above the drawing reads: "At Christmastime, everyone always said: 'to No, David!'"
The illustrations throughout the book show David getting into all sorts of mischief during the holiday season: trying to open gifts ahead of time, swiping Christmas cookies, playing with tree ornaments, running outside naked once again, losing patience while waiting in line to see Santa at a department store, wearing Santa out with his incredibly long Christmas wish list, "writing" his name in the snow with urine, breaking a window with a snowball, receiving constant reprimands at dinner, and peering out the window before bed in hopes of catching a glimpse of Santa—among many other escapades.
When Christmas morning finally arrives, David is dismayed to discover only a lump of coal instead of presents, along with a note from Santa scolding him for his bad behavior. However, this turns out to be nothing more than a dream, from which David soon awakens. To his immense delight, he receives a veritable mountain of Christmas gifts and joyfully celebrates the holiday. The book's final illustration depicts a happy David holding a note from Santa, in which the jolly old elf wishes him a Merry Christmas.
Grow Up, David! (2018)
[change | change source]The fifth book in the series, Grow Up, David! follows David's antics with his older brother. The first illustration of the book shows a David touching his brother's model airplane. The caption above the drawing reads: "David's big brother always said: 'No, David!'"
The illustrations throughout the book depict David's mischievous interactions with his brother, such as requesting to play football with him even though he (David) is too little, following his brother to his treehouse, being tattled on by his brother for stuffing objects in the toilet, eating all his brother's Halloween candy, tying the laces on both of his brother's shoes together, being defended by his brother, snatching a photo of his brother's girlfriend, being tripped on by his brother's foot, and so on.
In the last few illustrations, David's brother kindly asks if he (David) wants to play with him. And even though David is still young, he still has fun spending time with his brother. The very last illustration shows the brother hugging David (and playfully ruffling his hair), saying: "Nice catch, Dave!"
That's Not Funny, David! (2025)
[change | change source]The sixth book in the series, That's Not Funny, David! continues David's mischief, many of his antics he himself finds quite funny. The first illustration of the book shows is a whiteboard drawing of David's head with mucus squirting out of his nose.
The book's illustrations show David getting into ever more hilarious (in his opinion) antics, such as blowing bubbles through a straw in a soda, jumping a cannonball into a pool, slurping spaghetti messily, doodling on the classroom whiteboard, cracking jokes that send his friends into fits of laughter, crashing a shopping cart into merchandise at the store, getting his head stuck between the bars of a fence, attempting to swipe a cake, visiting the doctor with a peanut stuck up his nose, drawing facial hair on his face with marker, startling his mother as she sits on the sofa, and then fleeing from her in nothing but his underwear—and so on.
In the penultimate illustration, David lies in bed with his feet toward the headboard—resting his soles right on the pillow—a sight his mother finds quite amusing. In the final picture, his mother gently strokes David’s face and, with a smile, asks: "What am I going to do with you?"