We Accept No

A story about accepting no for an answer and how to handle the feeling of rejection.

Accepting no for an answer is a key foundation of consent. We Accept No builds children’s social and emotional skills and helps teach them how to ask for permission, how to respect no, and how to handle rejection.

The fourth book in the We Say What’s Okay series, We Accept No follows Jamin, who is upset when his friend Zakiya doesn’t want to share a great big extra-squeezy hug at the end of the day. With the help of his teacher, Ms. H, Jamin learns why accepting no for an answer is important, what to do with his sad and angry feelings, and what else he can do when someone doesn’t want a hug. Using the book as a read-aloud, educators and families can model the language Jamin’s teacher uses to support him as he learns how to respect personal boundaries. The author, who hosts workshops and trainings on teaching boundaries and consent for families and early childhood educators around the country, offers additional activities in the back of the book.

Digital content includes a song from Peaceful Schools with downloadable audio files and sheet music.

We Say What’s Okay Series
Centered on a class of preschoolers, the We Say What’s Okay series helps teach young children the social and emotional skills they need to understand the complexities of consent. Each book covers a consent theme, such as how to recognize the physical sensations that emotions create, look for body language cues, ask for and listen to choices, and know that our bodies have value. With believable, everyday situations and diverse characters, children can see themselves and others reflected in each story--and develop a vocabulary to communicate consent and feelings. Every book in the series is accompanied by a song from Peaceful Schools with downloadable audio files and sheet music.

Lydia Bowers is a speaker, consultant, and trainer who happily exists in the Venn diagram overlap between early childhood and sex education. After spending almost two decades of working directly with children as a classroom teacher and a parent, she is passionate about reframing sexuality conversations. Lydia now teaches families and educators how to talk to children about subjects like gender, reproduction, and abuse. When she’s not traveling around the country for conferences and speaking engagements, she lives in Cincinnati with her husband and two children and adds to her growing collection of children’s book character tattoos as often as she can. Follow her on TikTok @lydiatalksconsent and Instagram @lydiambowers.

Isabel Muñoz’s dream was to paint for a living, and now she’s proud to be the illustrator of several children’s books. She works from a tiny and colorful studio in the north of Spain. You can follow her work at isabelmg.com.