The Island Before No

When a kid who can say NO visits an island of walruses who can only say YES, chaos ensues in this hilarious debut picture book. For fans of NO Is All I Know!

When you’re a walrus living on an island where the answer to every question is YES, life is pretty simple, especially when that’s all you’ve ever known. It’s great when you want a slice of birthday cake for breakfast . . . and not so great when someone asks you to wear an itchy shirt.

But one day, a kid shows up, brandishing an entirely new word: NO. NO is heavy like a bookcase, solid as a boulder. It’s not shaped like YES, but somehow, it’s still an answer. The kid calls his friends to come visit the island too, and it’s not long before they’ve eaten up all of the yummiest food without sharing. What’s worse, none of them bring their own toothbrushes . . .

It becomes clear that what the walruses all need is to find their own NO . . . not only to hold back the rampaging horde of children -- but for their own sakes as well. The Island Before No is a hilarious new picture book that blends its zany fun with an important message about respecting and setting boundaries.

CHRISTINA USS is the author of the middle-grade novels The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle, The Colossus of Roads, Erik vs. Everything and A Few Bicycles More, which have received many accolades, including multiple starred reviews; JLG selections; numerous state lists, including the Texas Bluebonnet list, Maine Student Book Award and Vermont’s Dorothy Canfield Fisher list; a Kirkus Best Book of the Year and more. She lives in Massachusetts.

HUDSON CHRISTIE sparked his illustration career with clay and paper dioramas, hand-built and photographed in his cluttered bedroom studio. Upon graduation from OCAD University, he gained attention from the likes of the New York Times, Bloomberg Businessweek and The New Yorker. Hudson’s illustration work has earned him two National Magazine Awards and a 2021 feature in the illustration industry magazine 3x3. He lives in Toronto.