Customer Reviews

No, Never!

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Daisy says that she will never do her homework or take a bath or do anything that sounds like a chore. Will not doing these things keep her dreams from coming true?

If you have kids who have trouble doing their chores, this book could be helpful. It's brightly colored and hand painted by the author. In a way I relate to Daisy and am inspired by the message of the book.

Was there ever a time when your mom asked you to do something, and you responded, "No, I will never do that!"? Daisy, a young Dalmatian, does not like to do her homework, take out the trash, wash the dishes, clean her room, eat her vegetables, or even have a bath. She says, "No, Never! I will never do those things!" One day her mother asks her, "What will you do?" Daisy replies that she wants to write the greatest book of all time or win a famous bicycle race by climbing great mountains. Her mother then explains that while those are wonderful goals, Daisy will never achieve them if she doesn't take care of other goals that are important too. Will Daisy understand what her mother is trying to tell her, and will she ever learn how to achieve her goals?

Not every children's book has to have a moral. Some books are just fun to read. But it is great when a book that is fun to read also contains an important lesson for youngsters to learn. Having reviewed a couple of other books by author Sally O. Lee, The Rabbit and the Snowman and The Tutu Ballet, both of which I enjoyed very much, I was really looking forward to reading No, Never! Not only does this book feature a nice story with a valuable message, but Sally's full-color illustrations done in oil on paper are quite luscious for the eyes. Amazon gives the reading level as ages nine through twelve, but I think that it would be perfectly suitable for ages six through nine to read by themselves and for those even younger to have read aloud. Kids will benefit from it, and parents will love it.

The goal of a child's picture book is first and foremost to entertain. To have that picture book also teach an underlying moral message is even better. Such is the case with "No, Never!" which is both written and illustrated by Sally O. Lee. This is the utterly charming and original story of Daisy the Dalmatian who, when asked by her mother to clean up her room, or take a bath, or eat her vegetables, says not because she feels she has more important things to do. But her mother teaches Daisy that small goals are every bit as important as big ones, and that includes doing one's chores and helping out. "No, Never!" is highly recommended reading for children and a welcome addition to family, school, and community library picture book collections for young readers.

No, Never! is another one of Sally O Lee's wonderful childrens books. Daisy the Dalmation does not like to do things like clean her room, do her homework or take out the trash. Until one day Daisy tells her mother that she has bigger plans like writing a book. Daisy's mom reminds her that big goals are great, but setting smaller goals and following through with them is also important.
Full of colorful and charming illustrations, this book is great for younger children.

Daisy the Dalmatian will never take out the garbage, she will never clean her room, and she will never do her homework - not in a million years. Instead she would rather write the greatest book of all time, and win the Tour-de-Daisy bicycle race. Perhaps you have a little one who is likewise reluctant to complete the daily chores required for a successful life. Our family certainly has a few, and even some big ones who often resist undertaking the necessary but unavoidable tasks of daily living. Like ours, your home may benefit from a visit from Daisy and her mother in No, Never!

Multi-published children's author and illustrator Sally O. Lee has released another of her brightly illustrated, whimsical picture books. Like her gentle tale of unconditional friendship - The Rabbit and the Snowman - Lee incorporates a moral within the text itself that requires no supplemental commentary by parents or fable-like concluding statement. The simple text guides children through Daisy's stubborn refusal, through her mother's gentle reasoning and explanations, and on to the accomplishment of her grand dreams and goals.

While Daisy's mother does succeed in reaching Daisy with her argument for completing the more mundane tasks of life in order to accomplish her grand ambitions, this message may be lost on audiences young enough to appreciate Lee's style. My own three-year-old certainly can't comprehend such lofty ideals, but she did find the story very funny. My six-year-old comes closer to understanding the book's message, but is already on the older side of the spectrum; she sat through the book, but found the simple text geared for young listeners a bit dull.

The whimsical illustrations are executed in thick, vibrant oils on textured paper. The vivid palate evokes the joy and full-throttle emotional force of childhood. As Daisy makes her emphatic refusals to participate in her daily tasks, one can't help being swept away in the all-to-common passion of childhood. I read Daisy's passionate refrain of "No, Never!" aloud with all the gusto I've heard my own pre-schoolers muster up when confronted with clean-up time. Where the watercolours in The Rabbit and the Snowman created a soft, sympathetic mood, the bold, opaque paintings create a punchy delivery for the story.

Generally each full-page painting - some with fully painted backgrounds, others feature the main character and surroundings on a white page -- is accompanied with a facing page of text along with some abstract designs, backgrounds or several repeating elements found in the illustration. For example, a painting of Daisy taking out the trash with a bright pink bow atop her head is faced by a page of text with a scattering of large bows across the top and bottom of the page. The rendering of the paintings is for the most part quite professional, but on several pages the shapes and repeating elements on the pages of text suffer from pixilation around the outside edges of the images.

One of Lee's signatures is the creation of unique, one-of-a-kind fonts for her picture books. The squiggly style employed in No, Never! is appropriately named "Daisy", and is somewhat reminiscent of the thick, wiggly writing of a new printer. As an adult I read it with ease, but new readers will likely struggle with readability issues. The wavy lines and jagged edges contribute to a sense that the letters are not all sitting on an even line. It's quite possible that those with any form of reading difficulties will find the text exceedingly difficult to decipher.

A bright, charming book, No, Never! is well positioned to capture the interest of young children when read aloud to them. Daisy is easy for us all to relate to, as much as we might wish to deny it. I can certainly sympathize with the poor dear - more easily than I can my own children when they shout "No!" in fact. She serves as a lesson to me to faithfully put the necessary tasks before my lofty goals and to extend a bit more grace to my little ones - hopefully they'll also catch that vision themselves.

No, Never! by Sally O. Lee is a beautifully illustrated book about a little girl (dog) who doesn't want to do chores or homework, or take a bath. She wants to be a famous writer or bicycle racer. Her mother explains that we have to practice achieving small goals (like a clean room) to get us ready to reach our real goals, like writing a great book.

I loved the illustrations; they are painted, bright and colorful. The expressions on Daisy's face are perfect.

My five year old enjoyed the story and when asked to tell me if it was very good, good, ok or yucky, said it was good. We'd like to thank Sally Lee for sending us this book.

Sally O. Lee has the 'books for children' genre down pat. Her stories are engaging to read, well paced for the listener, introduce a common behavioral problem in the beginning, work through the attitude, and blossom at the end with a reward for turning a behavior around. All this and a very fine series of illustrations and design concept that emphasize pattern and color to keep the flow of the story as fascinating for the eye as for the ear and mind.

NO, NEVER! introduces a spotty dog character of a girl who refuses to do her chores within the household, preferring to spend her time dreaming about what she wants to do with her future until an understanding and patient parent explains a different pathway to dreams - one that includes some reality checks without damaging dreams. Told in a cranky turned warm manner, the story serves as a valuable lesson for children, and as always in Sally O. Lee's books, and for older than children readers! Grady Harp, June 09

While the book is intended for a child I personally believe even adults who lack direction would benefit from the simple wisdom it offers.

Without giving away the gist of the book, it comes down to personal responsibility and seeing the pay offs of being self disciplined when it comes to everyday things.

In some way it reminded me of the classic The Little Engine That Could as well as a book I read a few years ago about discovering the joys of zen in everyday tasks. So I cannot rave about this book enough.

Be it for kids or that adult who seems off track in life.

This is a cute story for 3 - 7 year olds. Daisy the dog doesn't like to do dishes or chores. Whenever she is asked she shouts, "No, Never. Her mother asks her what she will do and is told all of Daisy's glorious plans. Daisy's mother explains to Daisy that she needs to take responsibility by learning to do the things she doesn't want to do and then one day she might be able to do what she wants. Great lessons pack in a small amount of dialogue. Very effective.

The primary key to writing successful children's books is the ability to pack complex and valuable messages inside a simple story that children can understand. In that regard, Lee has succeeded in doing that, taking situations that all parents face and using them as a lever for the long term benefit of the child. Daisy the dog does not believe that she needs to do things such as the dishes, take out the trash or do her homework. Her goals are much bigger than that, she wants to be a great author and bicyclist and considers these menial tasks to be unnecessary. However, her mother explains that even the greatest of accomplishments are based on the completion of the smallest of tasks, and that learning how to reach goals is based on first achieving small things. Daisy understands this and from that point on realizes that doing the small jobs well is how the big jobs are done well.
If this book had existed when my daughter was young, I would have read it to her over and over again, explaining how Daisy learns the best way to deal with the challenges of life.