“All right, Noah, dear. It’s time to leave,” says Noah’s mom. Noah has other plans. “No,” he says. And then says it again. And again. And each time, his nos get crazier and crazier. A shattered, red-colored No! matches his rage, while a small, cursive no encapsulates his blithe obstinance. That’s just for starters: Warburton features two nos per page, then quarters that into four nos, then nine. The goofy creativity multiplies along with the refusals—Noah says Nyet wearing a Russian hat, O-nay as a pig, Negative as a robot, Hon’-Ka-Zhi from a tepee, and even uses hieroglyphics and Morse code dots and dashes. The pastels of the watercolor-and-pencil art quickly explode into a colorful chaos that concludes with the entire cast of Noahs singing “Nooooooooo” in a chorus. It’s a lot of fun and will feel familiar to any parent up against a child’s tireless opposition, and kids (maybe) will recognize their own silly stubbornness. The educational use of various languages extends the book’s age range a bit, too. --Daniel Kraus

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Released: April 28, 2009

Publisher: Harper Collins

Ages: 4-8

Themes: funny, language learning

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