Review: I Ain't Gonna Paint No More by Karen Beaumont

by Lori Calabrese

A dab of blue here, a splash of red there, a goopy smear of green . . . everywhere.

Hopefully this book doesn't inspire any of your young readers to emulate the main character, but it will inspire creativity and laughter. Beaumont has rewritten the familiar song, "Oh It Ain't Gonna Rain No More," and turned it into a rebellious, colorful romp. When Mama catches her son "paintin' pictures on the floor/ and the ceiling/ and the walls/ and the curtains/ and the door," she sticks him in the tub and declares, "Ya ain't a-gonna paint no more!"

But a bath can't keep this spirited child down. After being told not to paint the walls, he rescues his hidden paint supplies and discovers something even better to paint--himself. "So I take some red/ and I paint my--head!" Subsequent rhymes move from one body part to the next as he adds gobs of color to different areas. The use of color, shapes, images, and rhyme scheme make this one fun book. There are so many ways to get young readers to interact with this book. Since the last word of each verse comes on the following page, readers can complete the rhyme with each page turn. You can also have them guess which body part is next to be globbed with paint! Kids will roar when you reveal the ending as our masterful painter declares, "But I'm such a nut,/ gonna paint my-/ what?!" You might even get a chuckle, too!

Author: Karen Beaumont
Illustrator: David Catrow
Publisher: Harcourt, 2005
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
ISBN-10: 0152024883

Lori Calabrese is a freelance writer who specializes in parenting and children in both her personal and professional life. Lori's publishing credits include Boys' Life, Odyssey, Appleseeds, Focus on the Family Clubhouse Jr., Stories for Children Magazine, and The Institute of Children's Literature's Rx for Writers. Lori is a graduate of The Institute of Children's Literature and a member of The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. To learn more, please visit http://www.loricalabrese.com