Never, Not Ever!

by Beatrice Alemagna (Author) Beatrice Alemagna (Illustrator)

Never, Not Ever!
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade
A perfect back-to-school book...with a twist! For little kids everywhere who feel anxious leaving home to go back to school. A Kids' Indie Next Pick! Never, Not Ever! is the instant classic from Beatrice Alemagna--a laugh-out-loud tribute to little kids everywhere who would prefer not to leave home on the first day of school. The other animals are marching dutifully to school, but Pascaline could care less. "Never, not ever!" she declares. She's NOT going. And nothing--not even her parents pulling her by her feet--will change her mind. She shrieks so loudly that her parents shrink down to the size of peanuts--becoming just the right size to fit snugly under Pascaline's wing. Now they can all go to school together! In Never, Not Ever! award-winning picture book creator Beatrice Alemagna reminds us that small children need their parents to be close by . . . but not too close.
Select format:
Hardcover
$17.99

Publishers Weekly

Starred Review

Pascaline is an adorable five-year-old bat with furry wings of mauve, but it's the look on her face that stands out--her large, shadowed eyes hold an incendiary mix of resolve, contempt, and humor. Assurances from Pascaline's parents that school will be exciting produce only rebellion--the storm of her resistance shrivels her parents to the size of two peanuts, and Pascaline, mollified, heads off for school with them: "Now I don't have to go to school by myself! I'll tuck both of you here, under my wing." Via her signature art style, Alemagna has an uproarious time imagining what school is like in the company of one's tiny parents ("You two are really impossible!" Pascaline scolds when her father jumps into her soup). First-time school-goers need their parents, hints this picture book, but only for security--and not for very long. Ages 4-8. (July)

Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"This is the perfect book to read before the first day of school. Beatrice Alemagna is able to hold onto the whimsy and wonder of childhood, a perfect blend of playfulness and sophistication. She is my favorite contemporary illustrator. Pure magic."—Christian Robinson, Caledecott Honor Winner of Last Stop on Market Street
Classification
-
ISBN-13
9780063076495
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
HarperCollins
Publication date
July 13, 2021
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV039090 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | New Experience
JUV035000 - Juvenile Fiction | School & Education
JUV002000 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | General
Library of Congress categories
Picture books
Parent and child
Bats
First day of school

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