A Thousand No’s
By: DJ Corchin and Dan Dougherty
5.0 / 5.0

This picture book is amazing. I love how it shows a good way to cope with rejection. This book specifically applies to inventing things, but that doesn’t mean it stops with just that. It can be applied to many things. Another cool thing was how it ended. I loved how she made all the no’s into one big yes. The black and white palate changing to color at the end was brilliant. It makes the rejections seem worth it in the end. I love the message this is giving kids. I will definitely be recommending this book when it comes out. I may even pick up a copy for myself.


Author’s Site:https://www.djcorchin.com/

Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Thousand-Nos-DJ-Corchin/dp/1728219191/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=a+thousand+no%27s&qid=1592945638&sr=8-1

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-thousand-nos-dj-corchin/1133879197?ean=9781728219196

This review will appear on my blog on August 3, 2020.

Wonderful. A fun and engaging story about persevering while also growing and adapting. And accepting help. So good.

Thank you to the NetGalley and the Publisher for granting me an ARC of this book. The review below is entirely my own opinion.

I rated this book 2 stars purely because of the drawings in this book. I loved the illustrations! BUT I found that the narrative/story itself was way too vague, which is disappointing especially because this is a children's book.

I had so many questions and issues:

> Why did the NO's get *INSIDE* her idea and why would it get bigger?? No means "stop"; so I would have thought that the idea gets smaller.

> I liked the part of the NO's twisting and changing her original idea. But then the next words of the book say that "HER idea got so big" ---- Ummmm, it's no longer her idea anymore, precisely because she took all the NO's inside her idea. Yes, the idea gets heavy (and that's shown in the illustrations) but the idea is no longer purely, truly hers.

> Lastly, I didn't understand WHY she kept on asking for NO's. I didn't understand how or why she was getting others to help even as NO after NO kept coming. Who was saying or giving the NO's? NO to what???

While I understand and believe that a group of people that have the same NO thought (for example, NO TO RACISM), when they work together, they make a powerful YES statement and they can effect change. BUT if this is the point/moral of this story --- the story/narrative as it stands is, imo, too vague; and in addition, leaving it as is, this book maybe too deep for a child to comprehend.

It's difficult to understand how the main character's receiving a first know can lead to more and more until insurmountable with nary a good thing to come out of her idea. It doesn't seem that she ever sets it aside completely and it doesn't seem to grow. The mountain of no's sure does! When the help comes by way of another kid on a construction type vehicle, it seems there is a page missing. He's there and then he isn't. Yet all these kids do show up and carry the no's away until a new thing if formed in the end by everyone working together. The characters drawn do represent some diversity but maybe not enough. In the end, I found the book seemed to have something missing though I do admire the overall idea of turning a no into a yes with the help of others and perseverance.

Love this book! Such a helpful way to discuss with kids how hearing NOs can be hurtful and heavy, but also can shape our ideas.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received an electronic ARC from Sourcebook Kids through NetGalley.
An empowering book that illustrates perseverance and collaboration. The story begins with a young girl having a "great idea." She shares it and is told no. The book continues through the 1000 no answers but also shares the positive changes that can along the creative journey.
I like the black and white illustrations and the various designs within one simple word. The pops of color as the idea is tweaked and reformed tease readers with the promise of what the idea will become.
Terrific book to talk about taking risks and sharing even when others don't see the value.

A worthwhile topic but awfully derivative of the work of Kobe Yamaha. Even so a useful book for class discussion and to kick off a STEM project.

How do you not read a book by this title! I mean, look at that cover! Just looking at it brings a smile to my face. Super cute, delightful book of a girl that gets too many NO's and what she does because of that. Would make a great read aloud in my classroom! Thanks for the ARC @netgalley.

Love the character and how beautifully it was illustrated. Would recommend to parents who would want a good read out loud book!

The idea behind this book is brilliant and speaks to something that, as an artist, I can certainly relate to. It aims to address in a simple way some of the pain behind rejection and yet the importance of perseverance and allowing someone to help you take a good idea to a great one.

The illustrations were great and I loved the aesthetic of leaving them in black and white. Whether intentional or not, it tugged at my creativity and I wanted to colour it in and exercise some of my feelings onto the page. However, I felt that the illustrations were the best thing about the book. They expressed more to me about this subject matter than the words themselves. It almost didn't need them at all. I wouldn't introduce this book to a young audience. My daughter enjoyed the illustrations but could not relate to story as the 'no's' she experiences at 7 are different than the kind of 'no' suggested in this book. I would consider using this book as a possible starting point with older children, who have had experience of putting an idea out there or to teach them about the power of reciprocity and teamwork.

The illustrations in this book utilize black and white and color in interesting ways! This is a great example of how picture books illustrations and texts work together to create the story. This book would inspire conversations about the symbolism found in this book and all of the places it could be applied to real life. It would be a great book to accompany conversations with kids struggling to ask for help, or who are learning about having persistence. It would compliment morning meetings or open circle discussions in classrooms well!

A Thousand Nos is just what a person needs to be inspired, motivated, and active to make those no’s a yes! The illustrations are really great in this book, especially at the end! Hand to kids and adults who liked What Do You Do With a Problem, Going Places or The Most Magnificent Thing.

A cute book on getting “No”s which I found to be funny and sweet. Accepting a little rejection is hard but we all need to and this was a great book on how sometimes we will get lots of “no’s” in our lives but we should always keep trying!

What a lovely story to remind everyone that No’s aren’t always the end of something. Sometimes they are the beginning to a much better Yes! I loved the use of black and white and color in this book. Really cute and simple and effective.

"A Thousand No's" by DJ Corchin is the story of a little girl with a great idea. She's excited and she's ready to make her idea a reality... but that is when she encounters a world of NO's. Everywhere she turns, get finds the word no. Will she ever see this dream come true? Will she ever find a yes?

This children's book has a wonderful premise. Kids need to learn that in life people will constantly face rejection and obstacles before encountering success. However, this book just missed the mark for me. As a parent reading to young kids, I felt like I got more out of the book than my kids did. The author did a good job of choosing a worthy topic, but then didn't deliver when it came to making that information accessible to a younger audience. The book was intentionally repetitive, but it didn't appeal to my youngsters. They complained that the book was too simple, but again... it is because the point of the book soared right over their little heads.

I did enjoy the fact that the book opened up a great opportunity for a family discussion on perseverance, but I found that we spent more time enjoying the discussion than the actual book. I also did not care for the illustrations, they felt more like something that would be found in a graphic novel rather than a children's book. Overall, I found this work to be a little disappointing. If it was aiming for a children's audience, it certainly missed the mark.

A very cleverly visual portrayal of a girl with a big idea, facing up to negativity. You can probably see where it's going from quite early on, whatever age you're at reading it, but it's a good hook on which to hang a lesson of positivity.

I received a free arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute book. The illustrations were adorable and varied. At first I wondered why it was just black and white, but it starts to take color as the character learns more. I thought this was a neat technique. It gives the kids the good lesson about learning from mistakes, working together, and not giving up. It was a good read.

*thank you to Netgalley, DJ Corchin and SOURCEBOOKS Kids for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*


1 star

...and I'm going to make it 1001 No's because this wasn't something I enjoyed. Though it would make a great colouring in book and if I had purchased a physical copy that's exactly what I would have used it for. 

It had too many gaps. Like, why was there a 'No' in the first place? No to what? It was confusing even as an adult and I'm not ashamed to admit that. While I started to get a better idea of what was going on by the end of it, it was too late by that stage.

Unfortunately this want for me but I can see others enjoyed it so I'd say give it a go and see which side you end up on. Maybe this will turn into a 'Yes' book for you.

What a fun picture to give to perseverance! This will be a great addition to any classroom or therapeutic office!

The outstanding thing about this book is the wonderful marriage of a simple text and a simple idea with vivid, eye-catching art work. The message is a universal one; sometimes you have an idea that you love and work very hard on and that idea isn't accepted by everyone else. With books at this level, my major metric is whether I can seem myself using it in a lesson and I absolutely can.