From: Kate McClelland <mcclelland>
Date: Thu, 11 Feb 1999 13:59:17 -0500

I have a special appreciation for NO, DAVID! as one of the most child?ntered books of the year. To speak to some of the criteria that may not have been mentioned yet, I was appreciative of Shannon's masterful and informing use of gesture and expression. The mother, only shown at the beginning and end of the book, is introduced on the title page: all sharp angles and gestures well known to kids everywhere - the hands-on-hips and the impatiently tapping foot. Readers do not even see her head or the place where her heart would be. On the final page there is a roundness to the illustration that signifies comfort and security: mom's breast is soft (the anatomical focus is on where her heart is), there are round polka dots in on her blouse and David's round head appropriately has the most visual weight of all. The gesture is the universal symbol of love and refuge. That is the beginning and the end of the book, but take a look at Shannon's use of gesture and expression throughout. Brilliant. Kate McClelland Perrot Memorial Library Old Greenwich CT 06870 203.637.8802
Received on Thu 11 Feb 1999 12:59:17 PM CST