An effective, unusual 34-word story of the beginnings of a friendship, accompanied by wild and wonderful illustrations. Against pastel backgrounds, in vibrant, colorful images, an African-American boy and a white boy meet on the street. [Their] one- and two-word exchanges on each spread lead to a tentative offer of friendship, sealed as both boys jump high in the air and yell Yow!" With a beautifully balanced, economical style, the book illumines the peaks and pitfalls of getting acquainted, and puts in a good word for brotherhood as well." --School Library Journal, starred review
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Raschka's innovative picture book aims to explore the nature of friendship in only 34 words. It's a risk, but as a writer and artist Raschka is no stranger to risk-taking--his debut ( Charlie Parker Played Be Bop ) was a sly, joyous exercise in avant-garde that stretched the definition of picture book. And here, he does the same. After the briefest of exchanges, two boys--one black, one white, one shy, one outgoing, one nerdy, one street-smart--decide to take a chance on friendship. Like a two-character play with no scenery and minimal dialogue, the story relies on the expressiveness of the "actors" and the raw energy of the artwork to hook the reader. Raschka's watercolor and charcoal pencil illustrations certainly do the trick--they're brash, witty and offbeat, and easily portray a vigorous range of emotion. At least in the small realm of this cheeky picture book, less is definitely more. Ages 3-6.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2-- An effective, unusual 34-word story of the beginnings of a friendship, accompanied by wild and wonderful illustrations. Against pastel backgrounds, in vibrant, colorful images, an African-American boy and a white boy meet on the street. "What's up?" "Not much." "Why?" "No fun." "Oh?" "No friends." These one- and two-word exchanges on each spread lead to a tentative offer of friendship, sealed as both boys jump high in the air and yell "Yow!" The succinct, rhythmic text and the strong cartoonlike watercolor-and-charcoal illustrations are perfect complements. The feelings of each child run the gamut from loneliness, curiosity, fear of rejection, and hopefulness to, finally, joy; the illustrations do a particularly fine job of limning each boy's emotions in very simple images on the oversized pages. With a beautifully balanced, economical style, the book illumines the peaks and pitfalls of getting acquainted, and puts in a good word for brotherhood as well. Amusing for story times, or for use in discussions of feelings, it is fun to read and look at, and appealing to the eye, ear, and heart. "Yow!"-- Judy Constantinides, East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library , LA
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
37 of 38 people found the following review helpful
By Sandra McCoy
Format:Paperback
Yo! Yes? is the first book I read to my class each school year. We use it in several ways. First, I explain to my class that sometimes we need a way to focus our attention. So when I say Yo!, they should say Yes? and then stop talking and listen carefully. Next we use this as a guided reading book so that the children can practice how to use punctuation to decide voice inflection when reading. Later still we use the book as a springboard for a discussion of Conflict Mediation and then friendship. I love this book and so do the children in my multiage classroom because in so few words it conveys so much.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
When I first saw this book I immediately purchased it at the Scholastic book fair. I then translated it in French & Spanish (available upon request!). It makes a great beginning ESL book as is & foreign language pronoun and pronunciation book because of its simple question/answer and comment structure between two buddies, appropriately of different ethnic/racial backgrounds. Kids really respond to this (& even adults!) in foreign language classrooms, wanting to mimic the dialogue. I often separate the class (left/right or boys/girls) to do so. Great fun way to memorize dialogue and learn proper intonation.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
My 17 month old daughter adores this book and will probably have it memorized, gestures and all, within the month. Inflection is key here and it's something babies start to work on even before they know words. The story is meant for an older (pre-school) audience, but the fun-with-language aspect of this book makes it great for even the littlest listeners.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Yo!Yes?
Loved it! This book is awesome, really helpful to teach children conventions in writing and reading. Awesome resource to have.
Published 5 months ago by Ash3
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great VOICE!
I teach first grade and use this book to teach VOICE in my writer's workshop/6+1 traits of writing. This is also a great book for teaching punctuation as well. Read more
Published 20 months ago by N. Langan
4.0 out of 5 stars
Love it :)
This is a very simple book for an early reader, with no page having more than two words (all dialog) on it.
The story is really told in the illustrations. Read more
The story is really told in the illustrations. Read more
Published on January 17, 2011 by Ulyyf
1.0 out of 5 stars
An Offensive Multicultural Picture Book
I thought the book was very offensive. The book is about an African-American boy and white boy that meet on the street and exchange brief words. Read more
Published on June 26, 2010 by shelley mccoy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Review from Books That Heal Kids
This. Book. Rocks. It's one of those read alouds where the whole class goes silent. I know - your loving it even more now! Read more
Published on June 1, 2010 by Books That Heal Kids
3.0 out of 5 stars
Yo! Yes?
Raschka's use of rhythmic one-syllable words to tell a tale of two boys meeting, engaging in getting to know each other, and becoming friends, is complemented by his quirky... Read more
Published on May 16, 2010 by Tammy Reid-Benedict
5.0 out of 5 stars
1st isn't the LAST TIME!!
The book got to me fast. Way before the scheduled time. I was in perfect condition and securely sent. Read more
Published on May 2, 2010 by D. Dixon
4.0 out of 5 stars
Yo! Yes? YES for 3-5 year olds.
At first, I didnt really think that this book would work very well in my preschool class of 3-5 years olds but I figured out a way that makes the children really enjoy it. Read more
Published on March 17, 2010 by Mitchell Klooster
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Lesson for Writing
When read aloud with inflection, this book is a great lesson on end-of-sentence punctuation. My class loved it!
Published on September 28, 2009 by P. Rinehart
1.0 out of 5 stars
Very bad book. Influences bad concepts!!!
Alright, I remember being forced to read this book when I was in second grade. I was not very smart at the time; I decided it would be a cheap way out of a book report. Read more
Published on July 1, 2009 by Zachary L. Blackwood
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