Yo! Yes?: A Board Book

by Chris Raschka, Chris Raschka (Illustrator)

Overview

This Caldecott Honor classic is a simple yet important story about friendship.

Two kids meet on a street. "Yo!" says one. "Yes?" says the other. And so begins a conversation that turns strangers into friends. With vibrant illustrations, Chris Raschka's rhythmic read-aloud is a celebration of differences — and how it just takes a few words to overcome them. More relevant than ever in our divided world, this 1993 Caldecott Award-winning classic is presented for the first time in a board book format.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338583854
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	04/21/2020
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	376,831
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Chris Raschka is the Caldecott Award-winning illustrator of A Ball for Daisy and The Hello, Goodbye Window. He is also the illustrator of Yo! Yes? (which won a Caldecott Honor), Sourpuss and Sweetie Pie, Charlie Parker Played Be Bop, and Farmy Farm. He lives with his wife and son in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

* "An effective, unusual 34-word story of the beginnings of a friendship, accompanied by wild and wonderful illustrations. Against pastel backgrounds, in vibrant, colorful images, an African-American boy and a white boy meet on the street. [Their] one- and two-word exchanges on each spread lead to a tentative offer of friendship, sealed as both boys jump high in the air and yell 'Yow!' With a beautifully balanced, economical style, the book illumines the peaks and pitfalls of getting acquainted, and puts in a good word for brotherhood as well." — School Library Journal, starred review

From the Publisher

Raschka's innovative picture book aims to explore the nature of friendship in only 34 words. It's a risk, but as a writer and artist Raschka is no stranger to risk-taking--his debut ( Charlie Parker Played Be Bop ) was a sly, joyous exercise in avant-garde that stretched the definition of picture book. And here, he does the same. After the briefest of exchanges, two boys--one black, one white, one shy, one outgoing, one nerdy, one street-smart--decide to take a chance on friendship. Like a two-character play with no scenery and minimal dialogue, the story relies on the expressiveness of the ``actors'' and the raw energy of the artwork to hook the reader. Raschka's watercolor and charcoal pencil illustrations certainly do the trick--they're brash, witty and offbeat, and easily portray a vigorous range of emotion. At least in the small realm of this cheeky picture book, less is definitely more. Ages 3-6. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

PreS-Gr 2-- An effective, unusual 34-word story of the beginnings of a friendship, accompanied by wild and wonderful illustrations. Against pastel backgrounds, in vibrant, colorful images, an African-American boy and a white boy meet on the street. ``What's up?'' ``Not much.'' ``Why?'' ``No fun.'' ``Oh?'' ``No friends.'' These one- and two-word exchanges on each spread lead to a tentative offer of friendship, sealed as both boys jump high in the air and yell ``Yow!'' The succinct, rhythmic text and the strong cartoonlike watercolor-and-charcoal illustrations are perfect complements. The feelings of each child run the gamut from loneliness, curiosity, fear of rejection, and hopefulness to, finally, joy; the illustrations do a particularly fine job of limning each boy's emotions in very simple images on the oversized pages. With a beautifully balanced, economical style, the book illumines the peaks and pitfalls of getting acquainted, and puts in a good word for brotherhood as well. Amusing for story times, or for use in discussions of feelings, it is fun to read and look at, and appealing to the eye, ear, and heart. ``Yow!''-- Judy Constantinides, East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library , LA

School Library Journal

Using a minimum of text (less than 30 words), Raschka manages to convey myriad emotions during a meeting that ends in friendship. "Yo!" says the black kid, wearing a T-shirt, shorts, and gymshoes with untied laces. "Yes?" replies the shy white kid, shrugging into his cardigan sweater. "What's up?" "Not much." And so goes the dialogue, back and forth, until the cure for boredom becomes clear: "Me!" "You?" "Yes, me!" The text has a staccato cadence similar to that used in Raschka's first picture book, "Charlie Parker Played BeBop" , and a comparable freshness as well. The pictures feature just the boys set against lightly washed pages, their body language speaking volumes, a great counterpoint to the brevity of their conversation. And speaking of conversation, this could start plenty in a classroom; the book's a natural jumping-off place for discussions of friendship, race relations, and even language.

Ilene Cooper