I thoroughly enjoyed this beautiful picture book. I'm always looking for picture books that work well with middle school students and I think this book is perfect. The message is one that translates well to all ages.

Loved this book! It teaches readers, especially the young ones, the value of saying no, and has diverse reps and beautiful art. Would gift to my nieces and recommend to other young readers.

I Can Say No by Jenny Simmons is a superbly illustrated children’s book with an excellent message about how and when to say no. The additional tips for parents and educators at the end of the book are wonderful. Highly recommend this book for children and adults. #ICanSayNo #NetGalley

I wish I had this story when I was younger... This is a story about all the ways and times that we can use our voice to say no, whether it's expressing a preference, protecting our personal space, or standing up to bullies. The illustrations are fantastic, with lots of diversity, bright colors, and real scenarios that today's kids may face. It's a great conversation opener for early to mid elementary students, especially, to talk about how we can say no, when we might say no, and how we can get help if we need it. I love the teacher's guide in the back with ideas to scaffold and support this skill.

I do wish they had not used the word "lame" in their rhyme about feeling bad. The book encourages justice, acceptance, and inclusion... This word felt a little harsh and out of place.

*thank you to Netgalley, National Center for Youth Issues and Jenny Simmons for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

4 stars.


A great picture book about the superpower of saying No.

It teaches kids that they have a right to stand up and say No to something while also teaching them the times they could express this and also when it's not ok. Such as not to say it to bully someone or to use it in a rude, disrespectful way.

This is quite a powerful thing to teach kids and everyone should have this superpower. A great book and one I would recommend.

This is a very important book to read! I know I was never really taught how to say no growing up and it became a problem for years (honestly, as an adult I'm still learning!). Teaching kids that they have the power to say no is super important! I think this book is a great way to bring forth some important conversations and have kids understand they have their own rights too. You don't have to do something you really don't feel is comfortable or good to do.

The illustrations in this book are also on point! I really loved the colourful nature and the shaded type of pictures. I think the pictures tie in this story very well.

Overall, this is a must read book if I had to pick one!

Three out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, National Center for Youth Issues and Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

Awesome children's book about consent. It's such an important topic to teach kids and the rhyming passages in this book presents the info in a direct and fun way. The artwork is colorful, eye catching and shows a realistic array of races, which is always great to see in children's books. It's a little bit long for a picture book but could still be read in two or three sittings with less patient kids (like mine). I'll definitely be buying a print copy for my daughter.

T he illustrations are beautiful and the message is really important for kids and adults. However, I have a problem with this book. While the writting style and overall use of illustrations market this book for younger children, the characters pictured and the nature of the stories make it for older children. So I am not sure who this book is for.

I loved this so much! Excellent illustrations to go along with an excellent lesson. I really appreciated the way the author covered multiple ways and situations in which someone might need to say no, as well as assuring them it's ok to say yes. Great information in the back for helping parents, teachers, adults, tackle this difficult topic with their children.

A great way to teach kids how to say no when they don't like what they see or don't feel like doing whatever is suggested. The illustration shows children of various backgrounds, and is fun to read.

I will be adding this to my Little Free Library wishlist as I think it is a great book on consent and boundaries for children and adults alike.

I Can Say No by Jenny Simmons and Kristin Sorra is a powerful book about being true to yourself. What a powerful lesson to teach a child that it’s ok to say no to something you really do not want to do. For parents who are concern, it might promote sassy comments in their child - nope the author addresses that concern too. The purpose of the book is to help children learn boundaries. Dynamic SEL lessons as well in the back. Great book to add to your library. HAPPY READING!

I really enjoyed this book!

As an adult it was one that I could do with reading a bit more often too as I often found I am swamped with work!

The book was easy to read and easy to understand too and I liked the way that the topic was talked about as saying “NO” is not always easy.

It is 4 stars from me for this one, easy to follow and it has some great illustrations – highly recommended!

I did not expect this book to be as powerful as it turned out to be! Imagine my surprise then when my 5-year old daughter, to whom I was reading it aloud, turned to me and said, "Wow, it's my most favourite book ever!" The text may have been a notch higher in the reading skills department than what my kid can manage, but it was still a timely and crucial read about consent, when to say 'No' and the different ways of saying that small but powerful word. As we finished the book, we started a discussion on it which went on for a looong time. To me, that's the greastest hallmark of an important and socially relevant book.

I can’t wait to buy this book! The illustrations are lovely. They include different ethnicities, and are beautifully done and also not too busy. There isn’t a main character either. The people saying no in the book are boys and girls, which I think is great because it can resonate with all kids. I like that some of the example situations in this book are nicely outlined in what almost feels like a comic book style. There are also thought bubbles, and word bubbles too.
My favorite thing about this book is the text. The message about being able to say no, and then giving examples of respectful ways to say no, is a great talking point with kids. There’s even an example of when we can’t say no in life- when a parent asks you to clean your room! I love that the situations in the book reflect ones that kids experience at school, at home, and in social situations like an amusement park or the playground.
I really feel like this book has thought of everything!

This is a great way to show children that you are allowed to say no to things that don't interest you and how to be firm but respectful when you do.

The concept of teaching kids how to say no to bad situations is a good one but, as preschool teachers, and we know children are pretty good at using the word “no” in many different situations. Because the lesson for such young humans is to use the word “no” here, there may have been a better way to teach kids that these situations are not okay. We are not sure what the lesson should’ve been but the kids were just yelling “no” at each other for the rest of the day over every situation (not just the situations listed in the book) after reading this together.

This book fills an important place in kid lit. So often, kids aren't taught or aren't given autonomy. Learning how to say no is a skill all kids (and adults) need to have in life. I appreciated the vast list of reasons why you can say no, as well as the few reasons you can't. The illustrations were nice. The rhyming nature of the text was a bit wonky at times, due to slant rhymes or differences in syllable count, but overall I definitely recommend it.

Reminiscent of Joy Berry's "Saying No", Jenny Simmons brings us a very important book which will help to empower children to recognize and use their "NO's".
Our children being able to say "NO" is so important for their happiness and safety. Saying no helps children to be in tune with what they really want, how they really feel, will help them avoid becoming people pleasers, and avoids dangerous situations where intuition is ignored.
On a personal level, this is a very timely read for my five year old daughter, who is easily persuaded by her friends to do what they want her to do. Reading and reemphasizing the point that she needs to use her voice is so important. I really appreciate the reader's copy of this book and look forward to adding it to our home library.

This book teaches the power of the word "no!" It is a word that both young and old struggle with when it comes to situations and relationships. It is a wonderful book to show kids how to set boundaries and use their voice to stand up for what is right and how they feel about situations.

It gives kids permission to say no without feeling awkward, guilty or needing to defend their feelings. This thoughtful and beautifully written book offers the right to kids to speak up when they feel pressure to do something that they feel uncomfortable with from either an adult or a friend. The book highlights scenarios when it's okay to say 'no" but also ones when you should't dissent but respect teachers, parents and other authoritative people in life just to be argumentative and obstinate.

The illustrations display diversity and are colourful, expressive and engaging. The author likens saying "no", a very powerful tool, to a superpower that we all have inside of us. This is a wonderful resource that will definitely ignite conversations and the book includes a helpful section of tips for educators and parents. I love the book and highly recommend it.