Child's Play

Review of Never Ever

You say: a selection of fantastic online reviews of our book…

Never Ever (Child’s Play Library) by Jo Empson

“Jo Empson’s very humorous tale begs to be read aloud. Kids will have a blast pointing out the creatures of which the protagonist is comically unaware. Simple, repetitive text makes this a perfect book for beginning readers. Colorful, slightly abstract illustrations add to the whimsical quality of the story. As to the red-haired girl’s complaint, the rib-tickling conclusion provides an answer. If only she were as savvy as the readers of this gem. Never Ever is a Moonbeam Children’s Book Award Winner, and deservedly so."

“My daughter (6) says, great story! And I like it very much... We also had fun finding the animals hidden in the pictures.”

"I'm fond of a book in which the protagonist says 'nothing ever happens to me' even as the illustrations make it clear that an awful lot does happen. I'll be looking for more by Empson."

"Hilarious! Adorable illustrations."

"Charming! Nothing interesting ever happens to this girl, except... well, you'll see!"

"This one is a perfect read aloud for the preschool-kindergarten crowd. The illustrations carry most of the story and will bring giggles of delight as exciting events happen unbeknownst to the main character. Very fun!"

"A little girl proclaims that nothing exciting ever happens to her, but the watercolor illustrations betray her and reveal that not only do pigs fly in her presence, but woolly mammoths double as bunk beds."

"This imaginative book would make a great read aloud for PreK-2."

"I really LOVED the premise of this book. Never EVER does anything interesting happen to the main character, until, it does! The illustrations are almost magical."

"After I read this I thought it would be a great book to inspire kids to create their own 'Never Ever' book. Because the story is mostly told through its picture instead of its words, young children could draw what would never ever happen to them or the character that they create. UFOs, superheroes, dinosaurs...their imaginations could take them in all sorts of directions."
"Never ever have I read a book that says so much with the same words repeated over and over. Jo Empson does so much with so little. Just as most kids think that their lives aren't as exciting as the stories in books and in movies, this little red-haired feels nothing exciting happens to her. If she paid attention to all of the crazy things happening around her she would notice that her day is pretty exciting. Not many kids get to say they see pigs fly, sit on the head of a gorilla and are swallowed whole by an alligator."

"What appear to be crayon and watercolor make this book come alive with kid-like drawings that have much more to them than first meets the eye. I found myself having to go back to a page before when a new creature would appear almost out of nowhere. Upon further investigation, I would see where the creature really was in the previous spread."

"This could be a fun book to read to elementary school kids and have them draw their most exciting day, or how an ordinary day could be extraordinary if they really paid attention."

Misc, . 2nd February 2015

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