I Don’t. I Don’t. I Do! is a children’s book that offers a delightful portrayal of a day in the life of a young boy, showing the tradeoffs he must make to get his heart’s desires. Authored by Linda Cooper, the boy’s compromises — playfully captured by Illustrator Jonathan R. Hodge — show that sharing snacks, taking naps and taking turns are often prerequisites for going out to play, making friends and having fun.
I Don't. I Don't. I Do! is a Small Children's Picture Book With a Big Life Lesson
“This bedtime book will have children seeing how their own dilemmas can be solved as an I Don’t. I Don’t. I Do!”
Meet the
I Don't. I Don't. I Do! Characters
I Don’t. I Don’t. I Do! is a children’s picture books with playful, fun characters for young readers.
Key Theme of Book
Sometimes in life we have to do things we don't want to do (like cleaning our room) to be able to do things we do want to do (like having friends over to play).
The boy is the main character who has to learn to choose wisely.
The girl is a playground friend of the boy, and the boy has to learn to share with her.
The boy’s mom helps to teach the boy about wise choices in I Don’t. I Don’t. I Do!
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Will you review I Don't. I Don't. I Do! after reading it?
About the Author - Linda Cooper
Before she began writing, Linda Cooper taught English in New Orleans high schools and English as a Second Language at Tulane University.
The title and idea for I Don’t. I Don’t. I Do! came to her overnight: “I woke one morning with it swirling in my head.” But there it remained germinating for years while she was raising children and teaching.
During that time, she noticed how often the book’s premise applied to adults, to students studying to earn a degree or teachers grading papers to earn a paycheck. Even to writers like Dorothy Parker, who once quipped: “I hate writing; I love having written.”
How true, Cooper said, pleased that she finally sat down and transformed I DON’T into I DO!
About the Illustrator - Jonathan Hodge
Artist and book illustrator Jonathan R. Hodge is a graduate of the Columbus College of Art and Design. His portfolio includes medical illustrations for Stanford University, commissioned portraits on copper plates, and a large history painting entitled Wrath of Katrina, depicting people stranded in the floodwaters of the hurricane that hit New Orleans in 2005.
He was a featured speaker at the 2012 Seventh International Conference on the Arts in Society held in Liverpool, England, in conjunction with the Cultural Olympiad, an extension of the London Olympics.
I'm not an expert on children's literature but having 3 kids and stressing reading from birth, I've seen my fair share of children's titles. -- Most follow a cookie cutter approach. Nice illustration and a single (often silly) sentence. We look for books with more of a message or lesson (think Aesop's Fables) but they are somewhat out of fashion currently.
This book sorta breaks that mold in that it uses a 3 sentence 'micro story' on each page. As the title suggests, the three sentences start with 'I don't, I don't, I do."
ie: "I don't want to get dressed, I don't want to put on shoes, But I DO want to go outside and play."
It is rare today that our kids are taught that the reward comes after the effort. (or that effort is required at all for reward but I digress) So I like the message.
My first impression was that it's a short, clever little kid's book with some great illustrations.
I'd bought it to read to my young niece, but then worried she might not like it since the story is written in the first person from the point of view of a young boy. But she liked it.
It's not a story story, more like a dozen or so scenes from a kid's day.
I thought the book's description - that it had a secret solution to problem-solving wrapped in its pages - was a bit of a stretch.
But as it turned out, it wasn't. She started making up their own I don't I do's, and she got the main point which is, to get what you want, you sometimes gotta do things you don't feel like doing.
That insight can solve a lot of problems, but the author doesn't spell it out. Kids have to figure it out. It's implied, embedded, and therefore not preachy or didactic.
I read this book to two of my grandchildren, ages 4 and 2. They insisted that I read it over and over again. After a couple of times, I began leaving out words and they would fill in the blanks. We had fun making up our own "I Don't Like's" and "I Do Like's." The illustrations seemed to capture their attention as much as the words. They did not want me to turn the pages too quickly. Wonderful book that lends itself to quality, creative time with young children!