The Barnes & Noble Review
The feisty and adorable little star of No, David! and David Goes to School returns, but this time, the young rascal finds his voice, telling us all his favorite excuses for when he gets in trouble.
David always has a special line up his sleeve, as we watch the mischief maker in action. Whether it's "I couldn't help it!" after making faces during a class picture, "I was hungry!" following a tasting of Doggy Yums dog biscuits, or "But Dad says it!" after an apparent slip of the tongue (he gets a mouthful of soap bar), David tries deflecting his hijinks, like any kid expert in the art of shenanigans. But when sad and sorry feelings well up -- and David offers an apology -- Mom is there with a loving touch, and the reassured boy drifts happily off to sleep.
In this simple yet hilarious look at trying to diffuse punishment and forgiveness, David Shannon's funny hero simply takes the cake. You can't help but love him despite all of his goof-ups, especially with Shannon's distinctive loose-lined artwork, which is chaotic but heartwarming, just like David himself. A perfect discussion beginner for little troublemakers at home and a slam-dunk storytime read-aloud -- there's no excuse not to pick up this winner. Matt Warner
That irrepressible fellow with the Charlie Brown head is back, trailing a whole new slew of disasters in his wake. In this follow-up to No, David! and David Goes to School, Shannon finally lets David get a word in edgewise as in "No! It's not my fault!" and "It was an accident!" In a series of hilarious snapshots of trouble-in-progress, David hurtles from one scrape to another. Anyone can sympathize with David's trials and tribulations, whether he is scowling at his breakfast ("Do I have to?"), pulling the cat's tail ("But she likes it!") or sitting sullenly on the bathroom floor, soap wedged firmly in mouth ("But Dad says it!"). The exuberant artwork crackles with energy and color (including backdrops in lime green and bittersweet orange), as Shannon carefully hews to a child's-eye view of the world (adults appear only as limbs and torsos). This memorable character is nothing short of a force of nature, from his scribbled eyes and hair to his shark-sharp teeth. In the end, it's a confession ("Yes! It was me!") that allows him a peaceful night's sleep, with a woman's tender hand and an "I love you, mom" hovering over his angelic (for now at least) round head. Readers will gladly call for "More, David!" Ages 3-up. (Sept.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
PreS-Gr 2-David is back, and he is still causing a commotion. This time, he is sure that he is not to blame for every disaster that befalls him. The illustrations clearly show the dilemmas he has created, but his words in childlike print tell why he feels his mother should not be angry with him. "It was an accident" excuses his baseball crashing through a window. "I forgot" is his laughing rejoinder as he walks to school in his underwear. "But she likes it!" explains why he is pulling on the cat's tail. Talking with a bar of soap in his mouth, he complains, "But Dad says it!" When he stands guiltily next to a previously beautifully decorated cake with chocolate all over his face, he says, "No, it wasn't me!" However, the next spread shows him sitting up in bed, crying out, "Yes! It was me! I'm sorry," and he is patted by his mother as he tells her he loves her. The contemporary stylistic art is just right for depicting the boy's antics and his high-energy personality. David's comments in handwritten text sympathetically and humorously show his childlike reasoning and his eventual willingness to take responsibility for his actions. The front cover shows him sitting on a stool having a time out, and the back cover is filled with an array of timers, each one showing one minute passing. Children who enjoyed No, David (1998) and David Goes to School (1999, both Scholastic) will welcome this lighthearted sequel.-Adele Greenlee, Bethel College, St. Paul, MN Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Excuses, excuses. Shannon's potatohead (No, David, 1998; David Goes to School, 1999), born to be trouble, is back. "No," ever a part of David's elder's vocabulary, is now part of David's. "No, it's not my fault," for instance. David has learned the fine art of excuse-making: I didn't mean to, it was an accident, I forgot, the dog ate it (as the dog peers through the classroom window, homework in his mouth, giving David's excuses a two-edged appeal). Shannon's double-paged spreads are active in mood, color, and sight gags as David unfurls one excuse after another: "I was hungry," as he chows a dog biscuit; "I couldn't help it," as he cracks a crazy face for the class photo; "But Dad says it," with a bar of soap sticking out of his mouth. As usual, the adults are seen only in pieces, David is clearly the focal point, beginning with the title page, Mom seen only from the chest down, hands on hips, one foot tapping. Then, in the trademark finish, David offers up an apology, "Yes! It was me!" ready to take the heat, "I'm sorry," his head taking up both pages, before he murmurs, "I love you, Mom." Disarming as he always is-what a blessing he lives on the page and not in our lives. (Picture book. 3-6)
