Noemi Vola has a style. It could be more appropriate to say that Tra Publishing has a style and Noemi Vola’s art fits nicely into their groove. No, No, No is an illustrated book that’s smarter than you think it is. Its eye-catching cover feature a large yellow thing that could be a frog, who is in a small pond on a sunny day. There’s a spider, or a small octopus behind this yellow thing who is holding two ice cream cones that are melting on its Kraken-like arms.
There’s a familiar, yet alien feeling to No, No, No that will throw young audiences off of their game. It’s the size of other illustrated books they’ve seen. The colors are bright and vibrant, which is similar to some books in their classroom or library. The illustrations are soft, painted (I think) and have an ethereal, dreamy quality that few illustrated book authors can emulate.
Young audiences will adore the subtle details in No, No, No. The spider, yeah, it was a spider that we saw on the book’s cover, does things that kids do. It brushes its teeth. It also has cute slippers on the ends of each of its legs. Its web has all of the accouterments of a typical house, with a bed, table for eating or homework, stove and random things spread around the place. Its tiny mouth is reflective of how it’s feeling, which, more often than not, is dejected, sad or disappointed.
That’s because Spider’s best friend, Frog, yeah it was a frog that we saw on the book’s cover, is a jerk of a ‘friend’. Spider is always game to do things and asking Frog if she wants to jump in on it. “No”, is always the response that Frog gives Spider. Sometimes there’s a rude explanation as to why she doesn’t, and other times it’s simply “No, No, No”. They are the literal letter blocks, with “N” and “O” physically displaying what Frog had said dozens upon dozens of times.
The smaller “No’s” can be transported back to his web in his coat pocket. It requires a backhoe to move the bigger “No’s”. Most of the times the frog’s “no’s” would be medium sized, but they were always negative. Soon, Spider’s web had more “No’s” than things he needs to live with. He’s even spent lots of time figuring out why Frog never said yes, and can’t figure out why she’s such a consistent grouch.
One night a massive storm rolls through the garden and blows Spider and all of his stuff out of his web. When Spider comes back the next day he sees a butterfly who is stuck there. Butterfly frees itself from the web and asks Spider if he wants a slice of pizza. Unaccustomed to being asked to partake in something pleasant, Spider looks around to see if Frog is there. She isn’t, so he jumps on Butterfly’s back, eating the pizza that was graciously offered, while the two fly over the pond with all of the scattered memories.
“What a strange book”, I said aloud to my wife after I read it the first time. I initially didn’t see the point of its story. It felt like some snippet of another story that wasn’t fleshed out. However, the art in No, No, No demands that you read it again, so I did. I was reminded of a lesson that I taught this past spring about influences and those that we surround ourselves with. In that lesson I was letting the high school students know that it was normal and expected to change. Your evolution will certainly mean getting different friend groups for one reason or another. They might become too sporty, and you’re not the sport-type kid. They might engage in risky behavior, and you’re smart enough to realize that it has potentially dangerous outcomes. It’s ok, nay, it’s normal and expected for you to realize that some current people in your circle need to re-drawn.
No, No, No is a beautiful illustrated book of an example for that. It does so in a manner that’s optimistic and not preachy at all. Young audiences will easily see that Spider is a good friend and that Frog is a bad friend. In a typical elementary, story-time audience of 25 children there will be a handful of kids who jokingly, or proudly say that they’re more like the latter than the former. There will always be naysayers and counter-programmers, it’s low-hanging fruit that quickly goes bad.
This is that soft, unspoken lesson of being true to yourself, regardless of how others around you act. There are some in the young audience that will get it without engaging in post-read aloud conversation. There are some who will spend time with No, No, No as their quiet time because the art is so beautiful. There are others who might not get it at all, but that ok too, because they are the negative template that allows the Spiders of the world to learn. Whichever way, No, No, No is fabulous stuff. It has more text than young audiences are expecting, but its pacing, font size and illustrations are what will make this a favorite book for some kids for a season of their life.
No, No, No is by Noemi Vola and is available on Tra Publishing.
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