This book could lead to a lot of discussion about growth mindset and persisting through rejection! On its own it is pretty basic, but used in a classroom or other setting, you could utilize it to lead to a larger discussion about persistence and growth mindset!

3 stars

A beautiful depiction of just how hard hearing a "No" repeatedly can be. Adults and kids alike will feel the simple and deeper message of this book. The illustrations begin simple, but cumulate in a special surprise at the end. Teachers and parents will appreciate a book that transcends age groups and can be used for SEL and as a discussion starter for older students confronting a hard moment in their life.

A great picture book that shows children to keep trying, even when the going gets tough. Along with great artwork, it provides necessary inspiration for kids who are lacking it in their everyday life. This is also a great book that both kids and parents can read together.

I don't even know how to rate this. Is the message great? Yes. Are the illustrations engaging and adorable? Yes. So what's the problem? If you're a grammar nerd like me, you probably spotted it right away... and you wouldn't even have had to read the book.

I'm talking about the title. Actually, I'm talking about that one word in the title, the word that's repeated throughout the book. The word that's the centrepiece of the entire book. In the singular, it's fine. But I simply cannot believe that, in the age of the Internet when a grammar/spelling/punctuation lookup is just a few keystrokes away, this book thought it could get away with using an apostrophe to indicate a possessive. Yes, I get that "nos" looks weird. But the word "no" is capitalized throughout, so I really don't see why the author couldn't have written "NOs" when he was talking about more than one. To make matters worse, this book was originally published in 2016... so this 40-page grammar annoyance has been out for 4 years already.

This just irks me. The story is kind of cute. A little girl has an idea. But then she gets a NO. Then another... and another. Soon, all those NOs are altering the shape of her idea. She calls in friends to help. Eventually, her idea is transformed, but not in spite of the NOs; it's transformed because of them. The illustrations are sweet and show a nice amount of diversity, especially when the girl's friends get involved. They're black and white in the beginning, but slowly start to accumulate some colour as the idea progresses. I thought that was a nice touch.

As it is, I can't recommend this. There are already too many people who throw apostrophes around willy-nilly. Without this repeating error, I probably would've given this around 4 stars. With it, though, I can't really go any higher than 3.

Impossible to review honestly as the illustrations format was messed up but the story was cute. Very interested to see the final edition.

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A Thousand No's</em> by DJ Corchin, while certainly inspirational in many ways, is not the book I expected when I picked this up. In truth, I was expecting something more of a comedy, slightly fueled by the image on the cover. But, this book isn't exactly the funny story of a girl wanting to get into mischief and not being able to take no for an answer. It's different in a good way, though. So, I didn't quite get the amusing story that I wanted.

<h6>What I got was perhaps even better.</h6>

You see, <em>A Thousand No's</em> is really the story of perseverance, of taking the downturns and pitfalls of life and every moment that someone has said 'no' to an idea and turning them around into something grand. It's about building something amazing out of disappointments. And in so many ways, this is an incredible and important message to give to young children. It's not about whether or not your idea gets a yes on the first shot, but rather it's about how much work you put in to continuing on until your idea--or perhaps even a new idea--comes to fruition.

As a children's book, I think it may be somewhat difficult for kids to grasp the ultimate meaning behind it. But this is something they can grow with, something they can learn from. And if parents continue to foster these ideas even after reading a book like this, that kid is going to have a bright future.

<h6>Now, I'll be honest, I didn't love the artwork.</h6>

It was very Tim Burton-esque in its dark and somewhat creepy nature. I kept getting flashes to <em>The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, and Coraline</em> as I was reading. For me, this isn't necessarily a good thing. I happen to actually hate literally <em>all</em> of those films (to be fair, I've never been one to care for horror, grotesque, and macabre). So, the slight creepiness in the little girl's smile and the faces of many of the other children just didn't help me appreciate the book.

I definitely wanted something brighter, something less...scary looking.

<h6>All in all, this is an inspirational book.</h6>

And it's one that is definitely worth reading for yourself and for your children. It may even be worth it to have a special place on your shelf for it.

<em>I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</em>

Review to be published on blog on May 1, 2020.

This is one of those books you could give to anyone, from a young child to a graduating young adult to an adult thinking of a new idea or business. I loved the illustrations and the fact that the book reminds us that even after being told a thousand no’s your ideas can still be something good.

This book might work better for a small group of children or for one or two children reading it at home. I could see using it in a kindergarten class or for older preschoolers who are working on a social-emotional unit about working together and perseverance. I couldn't see the pictures very well on my kindle app, but the ones I did see looked as if they would generate some great discussion for a small group or between and adults and one child.

This is an interesting concept about persevering but it’s hard for children to grasp with what is provided in the book. The black and white pictures were an interesting style choice.

This is a cute book with a great message. I was wary of the black and white illustrations at first - it's hard for me to imagine standing in front of a classroom reading this book with pictures that might be more difficult to see - but I liked how color was slowly added into the illustrations to drive home the message.

I think this book might be a tougher one for students to grasp and fully understand without a lot of explanation, as it seems a bit metaphorical. I can see myself recommending this for a certain student or family, but I don't see myself utilizing it for an entire classroom.

The illustrations seemed a little plain at first, but as I noticed all the NOs had different shapes and styles and began to make a personal connection with all the NOs i've received. They are never quite the same, some come with ideas for change, some don't. I particularly liked when she began to get help, all the helpers were all so different and carried away their pieces in different ways. But best of all was the last page with all the color and styles and Nos turned into a beautiful YES!

Very cute book about transforming no's into something bigger and better. The art is great--lots of action to keep kids engaged!

A Thousand No's was the perfect book to share with children (and adults) about perseverance and never giving up on an idea. It was wonderful to see that NO can be challenging and it can make you want to give up, but it can also encourage you, help you include others and dig deep. I loved everything about A Thousand No's!