Title: “David Goes to School”
Author and Illustrator: David Shannon
Publisher and Year: Blue Sky Press 1999
Number of Pages: 31
Tags: Fiction, 2-3, 4-5, Stephanie Rudi
Genre: Non-Fiction
Analysis: The story is about what a school day is like for David and how he struggles to follow the rules. David’s teacher is constantly telling him “No!” which hardly ever makes a difference. In the end, David receives punishment for his actions and is finally praised for owning up to his poor decision making.
The book could be mirroring for some children especially since the author wrote it about his childhood. Perceptually, we see a kid who doesn’t like to follow the rules and is ultimately punished for his wrong-doing. He seems happy while he is behaving badly and is okay with being told to stay after school. In a structural way, the main focus is on the character of David and how he goes against what is expected of him. In an ideological perspective, it is shown that what he does is bad because of the negative reactions he receives from his superiors. All he has to do is serve his time after school, and then he gets to go home, which may send a message that it’s okay to break the rules. I think the overall idea of the book is fun, but I don’t know how important the message is.
The picture book codes has David on the left most of the time because he is secure and feels confident in his actions. The author’s note talks about how David Shannon wrote a story when he was little called “No, David!” and he eventually wrote a series based on it.
