Shelf Awareness--The Island Before No

PB Review: The Island Before No

The Island Before No by Christina Uss, illus. by Hudson Christie (Tundra Books, 56p., ages 3-7, 9780735272415, July 16, 2024)

The Island Before No cleverly, comically, and with plenty of aplomb relates the story of how a huddle of overly agreeable walruses deals with the challenge of a contrary new Kid who arrives on their island, neatly demonstrating how "YES [can] work as a great partner to NO."

On this island full of walruses, "every simple question had just one simple answer: yes!" According to the walrus narrator, yes worked beautifully when questions pertained to staying up late or eating cake; it was "not so great when someone asked you to wear an itchy shirt or get a haircut." But "yes" is the answer these walruses know, so they went with it. 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 something new: "NO!"

NO wasn't "shaped like YES, but somehow it was still an answer." NO is "heavy like a bookcase, solid as a boulder." And NO allows the Kid to take all the donuts from Café Donutto. When the narrator wishes to share, the Kid says NO ("the best word in the world!") and instead calls for a piggyback ride. The poor walrus answers, predictably, "yes." Ensuing requests come quickly and are all answered with the familiar yes. When the fed-up walrus begs, "Would you stop using my toothbrush to paint the cat?" the Kid, of course, says NO.

The Kid invites friends who all borrow toothbrushes. Donut supplies begin to run low. Finally, the frustrated walruses decide they need to employ the "big new word" themselves. Their first NOs are "squishy like sponges." But, with practice, the narrator manages to squeeze out a small NO. Even though it's not big or heavy, it works! Now, armed with a whole wheelbarrow full of NOs to go with their yeses, 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, one she expertly punches up with plenty of fun linguistic devices. The story is allowed to unfold 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 ("yes" or "NO") 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.