No, David!

Title: No, David!

Author: David Shannon

Publisher: Blue Sky Press

Date: September 1998

Number of pages: 32 pages

Reading level: Baby - Preschool

Genre: Comedy/Humor

 

Summary:  No, David! is an increasingly popular children's book. The book was inspired by a small book, entitled No David, that David Shannon wrote when he was five. Every page you turn includes the words: "No, David!" and a picture of David (which is also Shannon as a young boy) doing things he was not supposed to do like writing and drawing on the wall, getting a cookie, playing in the mud and getting dirty, dressed up in costumes and running down the sidewalk, playing soldier with a spoon and pot from the kitchen, playing with the food at the table and eating while watching television dressed up as a cowboy. throughout the book, David continues to do things other tell him not too like picking his nose, playing baseball in the living room and knocking down a vase. David is then punished for not listening and he sits in time-out. The book ends with a tender hug from his mom.

My reaction: Personally I hate the No, David! book. I think it is nothing but negativity towards children and demands negative attention towards creative play and imagination. I feel that children should be free to create, and master the art of imaginative play. The classic children's book puts a limit on play, and teaches children that typically David can't do anything right.

Potential problems: Blocks children's cognitive development of imaginative play through the scaffolding and guided participation of Vygotsky's theory. Many children would shy away from play and would keep to themselves not pushing their growth the extensive measures that are necessary at this young age.

My recommendation: I don't think this book should be shared in any reading circles, public schools, or day cares. I think it should be up to the parents to expose their child to this piece of literature. I am against reading it to children in a group setting as David is a common name in this day and age, and feel it's a conflict of interest. Children named David may feel confused, and pin-pointed. I don't think it is a good motivation for children to improve, and don't think it's a great example of how to listen to adult instruction. Although David is punished at the conclusion of the book I still feel it does not pose as a positive books to share with children in the age level it is aimed for.