I Hate Everyone

by Naomi Danis, Cinta Arribas (Illustrator)

Overview

In spare, poignant, direct prose, I Hate Everyone paints a nuanced and honest portrait of the complex emotional lives of children.

"I hate everyone." In your worst mood, it's a phrase you might want to shout out loud, even if, deep down, you don't really mean it. Set at a birthday party, this disgruntled, first-person story portrays the confusing feelings that sometimes make it impossible to be nice, even-or especially-when everyone else is in a partying mode. A gorgeous, poetic contemplation, sure to elicit a reaction from readers. A worthy successor toAlexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781576878743
Publisher:	POW! Kids Books
Publication date:	05/01/2018
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	11.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 6 Years

About the Author

Naomi Danis drew on her own childhood memories in this her sixth book for young readers, following her New York Times-praised I Hate Everyone—also illustrated by Cinta Arribas—and While Grandpa Naps. She tries in her stories to notice and give voice to emotions that are universal but not always spoken, to help children feel seen, and to allow them to appreciate their own relationships in both their sheltering companionship and their complications. She hopes her books demonstrate love, even when they don't always use that word. She lives in Forest Hills, New York, and feels lucky to be writing in what she considers to be a new golden age of picture books.

Editorial Reviews

The book reads like a version of [Walt] Whitman's barbaric yawp. It's wildly alive with the girl's unchecked bursts of word and emotion. The way she grasps at and simultaneously rejects love, wanting to be both acknowledged and left alone, is universal and timeless.

The New York Times Book Review - Marisha Pessl

03/19/2018
It’s the young narrator’s birthday, and she is a hot mess of emotions: “I hate you. Don’t sing! Take off the silly hats. Stop smiling. Stop laughing.” She insists that no one look at her—then dumps a bowl of snacks on her head to get attention. She complains about the sound of popping balloons, and then pops them herself. What’s wrong? Aside from a hit of existential dread (“How old am I now? I am always too little. Unless I am too big”), she doesn’t know—and Danis (Walk with Me) wisely withholds an explanation from readers, who have undoubtedly experienced similar Sturm und Drang. Arribas’s stylish illustrations combine big solid shapes with thick, markerlike textures and tones and overlays (sometimes off-register) of reds and blues on crisp white fields. The bold, sophisticated artwork captures a child’s sensibility and authentic rage, while at the same time reassuring readers there will be a light at the end of the tunnel. And sure enough, an adult intervenes, the girl realizes the contradictory nature of her own feelings (“Somehow even while I am busy hating you... Deep down... I love you!”) and she’s ready to hear everyone sing “Happy Birthday.” Whew. Ages 4–6. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"The book reads like a version of Whitman's barbaric yawp...wildly alive....The way she grasps at and... rejects love...is universal and timeless. Tolstoy was after this realization, too, and it took him 1,000 pages"

The New York Times Book Review

"The book reads like a version of Whitman’s barbaric yawp...wildly alive....The way she grasps at and... rejects love...is universal and timeless. Tolstoy was after this realization, too, and it took him 1,000 pages" –The New York Times Book Review

It’s the young narrator’s birthday, and she is a hot mess of emotions: “I hate you. Don’t sing! Take off the silly hats. Stop smiling. Stop laughing.” She insists that no one look at her—then dumps a bowl of snacks on her head to get attention. She complains about the sound of popping balloons, and then pops them herself. What’s wrong? Aside from a hit of existential dread (“How old am I now? I am always too little. Unless I am too big”), she doesn’t know—and Danis (Walk with Me) wisely withholds an explanation from readers, who have undoubtedly experienced similar Sturm und Drang. Arribas’s stylish illustrations combine big solid shapes with thick, markerlike textures and tones and overlays (sometimes off-register) of reds and blues on crisp white fields. The bold, sophisticated artwork captures a child’s sensibility and authentic rage, while at the same time reassuring readers there will be a light at the end of the tunnel. And sure enough, an adult intervenes, the girl realizes the contradictory nature of her own feelings (“Somehow even while I am busy hating you... Deep down... I love you!”) and she’s ready to hear everyone sing “Happy Birthday.” –Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

07/01/2018
PreS-Gr 2—It is her birthday, but this child is in quite a mood! A young girl is cranky and annoyed about all that is going on around her, even though it is her party. She hates balloons, people, and the dark—and is not afraid to say it. She is simply in the mood for a fight. But her struggle is internal as well, for as much as she says she doesn't want attention, she really does, and as much as she tells people to go away, she really wants them to stay. Her abrupt and bristly behavior is really a rough shell around her soft and loving center. The narrative is a little jarring and unanticipated at first, but as the story goes on, it is apparent that the young protagonist is just having a bad day. Tired, hungry, and overstimulated, she is having a difficult time managing her emotions, a feeling that many young readers may relate to. The wonderful thing is that the adults around her reassure her that they love her unconditionally, a positive message throughout the book. The big, blocky illustrations are done in shades of red, pink, and blue on a stark white background, creating a nice contrast much like the contrast of behaviors in the book. VERDICT This is a title that parents and teachers will put pull out when a little one is in need of some breathing room or a little extra empathy and TLC.—Amy Shepherd, St. Anne's Episcopal School, Middleton, DE

School Library Journal

2018-03-18
A little girl experiences big feelings on her birthday.The protagonist's gender is implied by her dress and her bobbed hairstyle, and the first-person text immediately immerses readers in her negativity: "It's my birthday. So boo! I hate all of you." A scowling, up-close portrait of the pink-faced, dark-haired girl depicts her wearing a party hat and sticking her tongue out at the reader while clutching a stuffed toy. She's yelling on the next spread in the middle of a crowd of people, who all have the same pink skin. It's her party, and she'll yell if she wants to, is the gist of the story from this point until the last few pages. Throughout, everyone else is remarkably patient and unbothered by her bad behavior, and the text eschews verbal responses or omniscient narration. Expressive, gestural illustrations adopt a low visual perspective to emulate a child's point of view and end up stealing the show. But even their success can't smooth over the narrative gap when, on a pair of facing pages, the girl suddenly and resolutely changes her tune. "Go away!" she shouts on the verso; "No! Stay! Can you stay even if I hate you?" she says on the recto, reducing the book to spectacle rather than story. While perhaps true to life, this lightning-fast shift is unsatisfying, as it asks readers to accept her change of heart as passively as the long-suffering partygoers accepted her hatred.Not for everyone. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews