The Island Before No cleverly, comically, and with plenty of aplomb relates a story about how a huddle of overly agreeable walruses deals with the challenge of a contrary new Kid who arrives on their island.
On this island full of walruses, "every simple question had just one simple answer: yes!" Yes worked beautifully when questions pertained to eating cake; it was "not so great when someone asked you to wear an itchy shirt." But "yes" is the only answer these walruses know. Until the Kid shows up. The Kid parks his boat in the middle of the Walrus Ball court and, when asked to move, responds with, "NO!" NO wasn't "shaped like YES, but somehow it was still an answer." NO is "heavy like a bookcase" and allows the Kid to eat all the donuts. The frustrated walruses finally decide they need to employ the "big new word" themselves. Their first NOs are "squishy like sponges" but, with practice, they manage to squeeze out small NOs. It works! The pod sets about saving their island.
Christina Uss (The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle) delivers a chucklesome narrative that follows a clear, concise arc, expertly punched up with plenty of fun linguistic devices. The story unfolds in 56 generous pages, giving debut book illustrator Hudson Christie ample room to contribute enthusiastic, appealing visuals. Christie's clay and paper dioramas bring a solid, 3-D heft to the art and some spreads--which are illustration only, even the text rendered in the artist's Claymation style--help both pace and emphasize plot points. This splendid cautionary tale comes in the most kid-friendly of packages. --Lynn Becker, reviewer, blogger, and children's book author