No! by David McPhail

A young boy sets out to deliver a letter and on his way is faced with all sorts of war actions including bombing, troops, and tanks.  When he is bullied by a larger boy, he speaks out and stops it.  This nearly wordless picture book only has a single word, repeated three times in different tones.  The illustrations in McPhail’s classic style paired with the single word make this a very powerful book about the power of one voice, one word, one person.

I am a fan of wordless books because so often as here illustrations can say volumes more than a page of text.  McPhail has created a book that talks of war more powerfully than many long treatises on the topic.  Even better, this war is accessible to children who can understand the horror being shown but then will be amazed and relieved at the power of a dissident.  I especially appreciate the final pages in the book which show the tools of war being used in peaceful ways.  Lovely.

Recommended as a book to start a discussion.  This is not a story time book but one that should be used when talking about war and peace in depth or for a family to read together and discuss.