My Star Rating: 3.0 / 5.0

Thank you to the author, illustrator, publisher, and NetGalley for this eARC!

I had never read this series before and went in blind, but it was very cute. The art style is very unique and not traditional for many Children’s picture books. I liked the contrast and metaphor woven in, though I felt it could have had more depth and clarity for young ones. I know this book will resonate with parents, but it may require more explanation for littler kids to understand the concept, as it was only explained minimally in the text/imagery here. Overall, it’s a great conversation starter about valuing yourself and not giving too much. I liked that its focus was not on helping outright, but helping others make their own “help” for themselves. I appreciate the sentiment, as it’s not always taught to kids in a gentle way they show in this book. It would be great for budding people-pleasers! 😅

Similar to other reviews, I thought this book was easy to connect with as an adult but may not be fully comprehensible for littles. That said, I believe that it can serve as an introduction to boundaries, self care, and role modeling for young children which is never too early to introduce.

The idea of this book was very cute - you can’t help anyone if you don’t save some energy and focus for yourself. I don’t know that the point landed with this young of an audience, and the “yes’s” were kind of confusing for littles. I also thing young kids are inherently selfish, and really need help being encouraged to share and be kind and think of others as well as themselves. This theme was more of an adult issue that is being translated into kids book.

We did like the illustrations. They were reminiscent of Bobs burgers!

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Million Yes's beautifully demonstrates that we can't give all of ourselves to everyone else.

Despite the best of intentions, giving all to everyone else inevitably exhausts us. It leaves nothing for us. Worse still, if we fail to take care of ourselves, that leaves us nothing left to give others.

This sweet little book beautifully demonstrates this concept.

The book opens with a kindhearted protagonist. The Girl has a plan, a good plan. When a friend needs help, she says, "YES"." After all, that's what friends are supposed to do.

She keeps saying YES. After all, she wants to be a great friend. It feels good to help others.

But the girl grows tired. She has nothing left for herself.

She practices taking care of herself and saying YES to herself.

She learns that when she needs to, she must say, "no" to others. Better still, rather than keep giving away pieces of herself, she shows others how to build their own "YES," just like she did for herself.

This new plan helps her friends far more than she could have ever hoped for or imagined.

I adored this sweet little book. My kids loved it as well. I highly recommend A Millions YES’s.

It does an incredible job of demonstrating the power of self-care, as well as the cascading positive impact caring for oneself can have.

Thank you to The phazelFOZ Company, LLC and NetGalley for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

This was a cute read. Nothing I could really connect with. The art was cool and the story seemed like a similar concept to other children’s books. But overall enjoyable.

A story about helping others out and finding the balance to place yourself first. The message may take some explaining to apply to children's own life but an important message for those to understand. Recommended for grades 1-5

I really wanted to like this story, but I just couldn't. As an adult I can appreciate the message; however, I don't believe the message will land as intended with children.

A story about a girl who gives over all her time and energy (YES's) to her friends. She wonders who her real friends are when she eventually runs out of YES's. She builds herself back up and learns boundaries. She learns to help others while also taking care of herself. A good lesson that reminds me of the analogy 'you can't pour from an empty cup'.

The illustrations were different and I enjoyed the high contrast between the YES's and the characters.
This would be a great read for both children and adults.

Very original art style, while my older liked it, my youngest found it a bit scary. The book itself was a nice read, teaches kids that it's ok to say no, sometimes it's necessary, and a form of self-care. Is a nice way to open up the door to start a conversation with your kids about setting boundaries.

This book teaches a highly valuable lesson, and I think that it's great for kids to learn said lesson sooner rather than later. What's even better is this story was told in a plot that visibly developed, and readers are able to see changes occur in the main character, which adds a lot of depth to the book. Yet another great thing about this book is the way that everything was depicted visually. It was really fun to see all the different ways that "yes" could be drawn, and I applaud the illustrator's creativity. Lastly, the ending of the book was done very well! The main character's imaginative personality and persistence are qualities that are infectious, and I have no doubt that this book's teachings will be so helpful to young readers throughout their lives. Bravo!!

What a delightfully written and illustrated book to help children understand (and remind adults) of the importance of setting boundaries and self-care. By continuing to say "Yes" to others, it is easy to become depleted, find yourself with nothing left to offer and angry that your own plans have been totally tossed aside. This book show ways to help others improve their own skills while maintaining your own energy and staying on course with your own plans. Beautifully done and highly recommended!!

My sincere thanks to The phazelFOZ Company LLC for permitting me to read a DRC of this wonderful book via NetGalley. It will be published 9/1/25. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given.

A Million YES's is a charming picture book about a young girl who begins with a million YES's and decides to help every one of her friends by giving them out. However, the girl eventually learns how exhausting giving out YES's actually can be. With whimsical illustrations and a valuable lesson, this is a picture book which will delight young readers.

Honestly? This book nailed it. Such a sweet and simple way to help kids grasp the idea of boundaries — that choosing to spend time in one place means you’re not somewhere else, and that every “yes” is also a “no” to something else. It’s like planting tiny seeds of emotional intelligence without overwhelming them. Absolute gold.

An absolutely brilliant book, most needed across ages.
DJ Corchin has written a fine, short book on the need to set boundaries, on the need to help others mindfully, meaning keeping well in mind one's own time,.energy, chores and resources at hand.

My son whose school notes are often sought after for they are always complete is asked to share his work with fellow class mates. He is ever willing to help even when it takes away his time and access to his very own work. That said, his willingness to help fostered a sense of complacency in some of his friends who kinda casually relied on him for help without doing their bit. Saying a NO, in however polite fashion after a series of YES is hard to accept and very unwelcome, both to the one who utters and listens to the NO. But there is a need to put your foot down at the right time and this book acknowledges and appreciates this need, In fact, it extolls it as an essential right of every individual because by setting boundaries we are not only saving ourselves, our time and energy but also helping others from falling into a casual and careless dependence..

The instance that I quoted with respect to my child's school life pops out in every walk of an adult life as well, in all our interaction with peers at work and our own family members. There is no love that is entirely selfless and there is nothing vile in being a little selfish, the word definitely doesn't need to be so despised.

With gorgeous illustrations, this book asserts the need to care for oneself first, keep a small YES or build a small world of YES s for oneself. A Yes for oneself doesn't mean you aren't available or completely closed to others and those who understand this, like portrayed in the book, are truly our lasting and sensible friends.

A great picture book for all ages about setting boundaries and self care. The message was clear and the delivery was simple for different ages to understand. It also teaches readers that kindness can be taken advantage of. Not everyone can be a true friend, but those who are will be willing to stick around, respect the boundaries set, and learn from you while you take care of your wellbeing.

The illustrations are wonderful. The different styles of yes's are unique, creative, and colorful. Absolutely loved this book!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I love the messaging of this story. We have to make sure that children are protecting their peace and not giving away their “yeses”. Having to take the time to make your own yes is important and shows the audience that you have to work for things that are important.

Amazing way to teach young minds how to set boundaries and how sometimes saying no is better than saying yes. Illustrations helped visualise "BIG" Yes's and "small" yes's and how if we don't say no sometimes we will be left with nothing for ourselves. I have recommended it to my childrens classroom teacher to put in her class once published.

Thank you to NetGalley and The phazelFOZ Company, LLC for an ARC of this. I enjoyed this one! I loved the story of how the girl learned to set her boundaries. Definitely will be getting this to share with my students at school.

Il messaggio all' interno é interessante e fá riflettere. Utile per il messaggio che trasmette ma le grafiche all'interno sono brutte. I disegni non interessano i bambini perché troppo semplicistiche. L'utilizzo dei colori fá sembrare un opuscolo più che un libro.

Such a simple way to talk about boundaries and the "time one place is time away from another" and the "yes to one thing is no to something else" with our kiddos.