Off-Limits

by Helen Yoon, Helen Yoon (Illustrator)

Overview

For every child who has ever felt that grown-ups have all the fun, here is a vicarious chance to slip behind the office door—and play with all the tempting things that are off-limits.

Dad’s office is off-limits—which only makes it more intriguing to his curious young daughter. As soon as she sees an opening, she sneaks in to have a look around. After all, there’s no harm in just looking, right? What she discovers is a magical wonderland of sticky tape, paper clips that make glorious strands, and a kaleidoscopic array of sticky notes. Who could possibly resist playing with those? In a joyful ode to office supplies, Helen Yoon leads a celebration of just-for-once breaking the rules—and offers a final, funny nod to adults who harbor a similar urge.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536207316
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	11/09/2021
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,031,110
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 9.70(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Helen Yoon is a professional illustrator and a freelance concept designer. She attended ArtCenter College of Design and the University of California, Irvine. She is the author-illustrator of Sheepish (Wolf Under Cover), her debut picture book with Candlewick Press. Helen Yoon lives in the Los Angeles area.

Editorial Reviews

08/30/2021

Yoon reveals the fun behind closed doors in this comedic, well-designed picture book. A pale, blond-bearded parent tapes an “OFF-LIMITS” sign onto a home office door, then trudges off with a coffee mug and a brown dog. Almost immediately, a curious, dark-haired child disregards it: “Hello! I’m just looking,” the child addresses readers, walking light tan fingers along the desk as cinematic angles display the spread of office supplies. Soon, “just looking” turns into a riotous adventure, as the child sweeps tape around (“Why, hello, Mr. Lamp! What a lovely scarf!”), swings circular swirls of “PAPER CLIPS AND BINDER CLIPS,” and creates a kaleidoscopic pattern of sticky notes and legal pad cut-paper chains. A combination of stark angles and rounded cartoonish positions energize mixed-media illustrations in this exemplar of childlike curiosity that, with a tender end-of-book reversal, also reinforces the importance of parent-child play. Ages 3–7. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

This delightful story incorporates the wistful dreams of both parent and child alike, especially in the current WFH reality. . . dynamic visuals and playful textual placement will captivate the attention of a range of readers. . . a humorous and accessible story for young readers.
—School Library Journal (starred review)

Yoon (Ball & Balloon, rev. 9/19) uses the drama of the page-turn beautifully, typography is employed creatively, and the book is perfectly paced. . . . Open the door to this spectacular book and run in.
—The Horn Book (starred review)

Yoon’s digital art is a riot of movement and color. . . For many families, the home office/classroom has become a staple in the house this past year, and this is a lovely reminder that it doesn’t have to always be used for work and no play.
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Yoon reveals the fun behind closed doors in this comedic, well-designed picture book. . . . A combination of stark angles and rounded cartoonish positions energize mixed-media illustrations in this exemplar of childlike curiosity that, with a tender end-of-book reversal, also reinforces the importance of parent-child play.
—Publishers Weekly

Timely and familiar, an endlessly charming ode to imagination and enjoying guilty pleasures for the preschool set.
—Kirkus Reviews

The first picture of the orderly office in shades of gray contrasts sharply with its later appearance, wildly chaotic and joyously overdecorated. . . An amusing, original picture book.
—Booklist

Helen Yoon's exuberant illustrations are hilarious; little ones will laugh at the surprise ending.
—The Buffalo News

This book would make for a marvelous deep dive study into what it is that makes picture books fun for kids. Mischief, sure, but also design, timing, good writing, fun characterizations, and an ending that sticks the landing. It reads aloud better than any other picture book I’ve encountered this year and you can read it over and over and notice something new each time you do.
—A Fuse #8 Production

What Yoon does here with color, shapes, perspective, and pacing, as the chaos builds, is brilliant. . . . Immensely satisfying.
—Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

From the Publisher

★ 08/01/2021

PreS-Gr 1—Working from home can have its ups and downs, especially when young children are around. One day, a man with scruffy blond hair departs from his office, carefully placing an "off-limits" sign on his door before setting off for the kitchen with his trusty canine companion. Soon, a young girl with wide eyes, lightly tan skin, and two dark French braids opens the door to the office, flicks the light on, and addressing readers, claims she is merely going to have a look around. "And I don't think anyone would miss one piece of tape. Just one little teeny tiny piece." What follows is a visual celebration of paper clips, document holders, and way too much tape in a confetti-laden tornado of color and movement. Once the damage is done, the girl sneaks back to her room to find an unexpected surprise: her father is rocking out among her toys with an audience of stuffed animals. This delightful story incorporates the wistful dreams of both parent and child alike, especially in the current WFH reality. Very few words are included in the narrative, as the illustrations do most of the storytelling. Pastel colors begin in drab hues, adding more color with the arrival of the little girl into the story. Readers will love observing the child engaging in a familiar rendition of pretend play, and dynamic visuals and playful textual placement will captivate the attention of a range of readers. Work is not always fun, but this enjoyable tale helps remind parents of the joys that come from an uncluttered desk and a variety of available office supplies. VERDICT This is a humorous and accessible story for young readers, and it is especially well suited to families in the throes of work from home.—Mary Lanni, formerly at Denver P.L.

School Library Journal

2021-09-15
After their father leaves the room, a young child turns an ordinary home office into a covert playground of joy and wonder.

Despite the sign that clearly marks the home office as “OFF-LIMITS,” a young child seizes the opportunity to explore the space unsupervised. Rationalizing their intrusion as harmless, the curious explorer then sneaks “one little teeny-tiny piece” of tape. This small transgression snowballs until a lamp, stapler, and the child themselves are covered in tape. Moving on, the intrepid decorator discovers paper clips and binder clips. These are linked together to form joyous loops that circle around the child like a choreographed ballet. The pièce de résistance comes with the discovery of small, pastel sticky-notes that create a kaleidoscopic riot of patterns and color. This delightful tale highlights the power of play and the satisfaction of enjoying something forbidden. The simple text gives a sweet, inquisitive voice to the child. The cartoonish style featuring exaggerated facial expressions and body movements reinforces the hyperbolic tone and good-natured humor of the story. Throughout this escapade, there is an underlying tension that the child might get caught as the situation escalates. However, the conclusion shows that pretend play is both empowering and universal. The child has dark brown hair and medium-toned skin; the father has blond hair and light skin.

Timely and familiar, an endlessly charming ode to imagination and enjoying guilty pleasures for the preschool set. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews