I've had a few people in my knowledge declare that their first word was "No!", so for the rest of us comes this – a guide to saying it politely, but with conviction. You can't get through life always saying "yes" to the clumsy person wanting to use your best art supplies, or to the person wishing you would willingly sacrifice too much time you need for your homework, or to the grubby bloke handing out sweets at the school gate. "No" is an important word, and we clearly should not be too negative about using it. This nicely-done lesson, then, gets that across – although it can get quite clumsy when trying to rhyme throughout. It's certainly pitched well for young primary schoolers, and has appeal enough to get it read voluntarily and not only when prescribed by adults. So it's a "yes" from me, unhelpfully.

Devyn had a good time reading. This has become a r re read favorite of her. She reads it to the puppies.

This is to teach kids that sometimes NO is a good word. That it’s okay to say to friends or others “no thank you”, “not this time”, “not right now”, etc. That there are times when no is not a good answer and when no is the perfect answer. It’s about kids being able to assert their feelings in a polite way, but not endanger themselves at the same time.

We don't talk about the importance of saying NO nearly enough. Too often NO is painted as a bad word... a mean word... but in the right context NO is just as important and valid.

This is a book not just about the word NO, this is a book about boundaries! I love and support this book's message to young readers wholeheartedly.

I received a copy in exchange for my honest review.

My family really enjoyed No Is a Good Word! This picture book uses rhyming prose and imaginative images to convey the message that saying no can be the right and kind thing to do, and it's a beautiful message for kids and adults alike. The illustrations are especially beautiful, with a very hand-drawn whimsical feel to them. I highly recommend this beautiful book!

Thank you to Rosen Publishing Group for gifting me with an ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

I loved this book. It’s a gentle but powerful reminder that saying “no” isn’t always easy - especially for those who were never taught how. But it’s so important for setting boundaries, both emotional and physical. A meaningful and empowering read for children (and adults, too).

I loved this book. It's a picture book for children, but the message within is also important for adults. The importance of saying "No" is well represented with nice drawings, fewer words, and simple phrases. It's a nice book for children and I think it is important to read it with parents or in a school with teachers, to explain what consensus is and how important it is to say "No" when we don't want to do something or when something doesn't like.

No Is A Good Word is a great children's book guardians , teachers should read to to children. This illustrated children's book focuses on the word NO and how it is not a negative word to say. As well as it's ok to speak up for yourself although you may be concerned about how others may feel.

Very helpful

What a thoughtful book. I very much enjoyed it the illustrations and the rhyme-y story. There are some very valuable lessons and the story hopefully will inspire you to talk through everyday situations with your child. Why did they feel bad? What did they want to say/do? What are they afraid of? I hope this book allows for more thoughtful dialogue. Very helpful.

This book is an amazing tool to teach children, even toddlers about autonomy and decision making. Unfortunately, children don't often get much of a choice with anything, that gets taken away a lot, and over time it develops into people pleasing tendencies. I find this book does a fantastic job of curbing all of that while simultaneously emphasizing there are ways to set boundaries well. Not only does the author teach readers why saying 'no' instead of 'maybe' or holding onto feelings is so freeing, she also enlightens the reader on how not to be hurt by another's refusal. The colorful illustrations by Urvashi Dubey absolutely match Bharti Singh's simple writing and I believe will leave an effective impact on young readers. Highly recommend.

This story was fun! I read it to my 8 year old son who has some additional needs, and he was able to follow along well. I liked the simple text, straightforward message and illustrations.

This is such an awesome book!! It is so important to teach kids from an early age that saying "no" is not mean, and that it is actually very important to learn to do. On top of that, the author demonstrated this lesson through highly relatable school and life situations. This will definitely make it easier for young readers to understand exactly what the author is trying to tell them. These situations were also fairly diverse, and it was clear that the author wasn't afraid to have a lot of variety within the story. Lastly, I thought that the ending added a fun little touch to the book because it has a hint of humor to it without taking away from the main idea. Great book!!

No Is a Good Word opens with Sia, our protagonist, asking if she can use her friend's new set of paints in school. Zoe's polite but firm "No, you may not" inspires the rest of this tale, in which Sia learns that rather than being rude or a bad word, saying "no" clearly and kindly is an essential skill.

In the rest of the subtly rhyming text that follows, Singh skillfully explores the nuances of learning to say no. I appreciate that she shows how Sia, who is unused to saying no and generally just tries to make the best of whatever is happening, learns that this approach can just lead to internal suffering (young me needed this lesson on the downsides of going along and getting along!!) Singh demonstrates how a now can be an act of self-kindness, and also points out that saying no tactfully is a skill that can and should be practiced.

Overall, I find this to be a very well-crafted narrative which can teach both children and adults the positives of saying no, and how to approach such conversations with young ones. I would recommend this title for any juvenile collection.

Bharti Singh’s “No is a Good Word” is an important story for young children. Sia learns that there are good reasons to say no (such as to a stranger) AND that it's okay to use that word. Sia explores several ways to kindly say no (except to fruits and veggies) and learns that it doesn’t make her a bad or mean person if she does.

This is a great story to help children set and keep boundaries in a kind way. It explores no as a safety tool, but also as a way to maintain one’s own integrity. Tip: it would even be great for adults to take a look at this book and put into practice the art of saying no.

I received an advance review copy for free from Netgalley and Rosen Publishing Group|Windmill Books, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

No Is a Good Word is a sweet and important story about learning to say “no” in a kind way.
When Zoe doesn’t want to share her new paints, her friend Sia feels hurt. But as Sia thinks it over, she realizes that saying “no” can be honest, kind, and even brave. As a mom, I loved how gently this book teaches kids to listen to their feelings and set boundaries. The rhymes are lovely, and the pictures are full of warmth. A great read for any child learning to speak up and stay true to themselves.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I really loved the message of this book! Teaching consent from an early age is extremely important and there's a fun "practice" part of the book that my daughter and I had a lot of fun saying together. My only draw back was that it was hard to explain the difference between the "maybe" examples and the "no"s. I also didn't love the idea of "today's no might be tomorrows yes" because it feels like it could give the idea to just keep asking and eventually the person might change their answer.
The illustrations are great and the overall messages is great, but there is some nuance to be added. To be fair, this is a tough topic, so it makes sense that people like me might have different ideas of how to discuss saying no.

This book is great. I think even a lot of us adults sometimes struggle to say no to people in certain situations. I think it is important for children to know that it is ok to say no sometimes, especially when something makes them feel uncomfortable.

I wish I had this book as a kid! This is a great way to teach children that the word no is not scary and saying yes is not always a good thing. I hope to see more books like this in the future. I am definitely recommending this book.

I enjoyed the illustrations of the story. Reading this to my class, it was hard for them to differentiate between saying 'no' to things they just don't want to do as opposed to the times when it's okay for them to say 'no', I was hoping for more of an informative read that would encourage students to fight against societal pressures, not fighting for their hatred of broccoli. Most of my students took away the message that they can say no whenever they want and we had to discuss after that this is not what the story was highlighting.


Review from my Grade 2 class (ages 7-8):
"10/10 I loved it!"
"10/10 It's a really good book"
"10/10 I liked the whole thing"
"It's okay to say no when you need space."
"10/10I liked when she said no to the bad wolf."
"I liked the book it was really good."
"400/400 I like all of it"
"5000/5000 I loved the book"
"5/5 I didn't like all of it but I liked the big bag wolf"
"10,000/10,000 I loved the whole book"
"I liked the book"
"8.5/10"
"5/10 It was okay"
"It was actually really good"

My kids love this book. The writing is both informative but engaging for my 4 and 2 year olds. It allows them to understand the concept of "no" as well as get that there are multiple ways to use the word. I love that it highlights personal boundaries while still commenting that you do need to listen to your adult (i.e. if they want you to eat nutritious food, sometimes no isn't an option). We've read it multiple times already and will keep reading.