A Million YES’s

A girl learns that saying “yes” isn’t always the right thing to do in Corchin’s picture book.

When her friend needs help, a young girl (unnamed in the text) doesn’t hesitate to offer her a large, literal word “YES” from the pile she maintains. (“It was a BIG YES. I can spare it, she thought.”) The kinder the girl is to others, the less kind she is to herself, and the less able she is to provide meaningful assistance as she struggles to keep up with the growing list of people asking for her help. One day, the people disappear, and the girl retreats to her home in defeat, feeling exhausted, lonely, and empty. She decides to take a step back and cultivate a small, unique YES just for herself. Armed with this YES, the girl learns to face a world full of problems in a healthier way. This follow-up to A Thousand No’s (2020) is a concise tale about setting boundaries that demonstrates healthy emotional habits in a way that children of a variety of ages can follow. The girl’s eventual solution will offer a glimmer of hope to any young readers feeling overextended. Dougherty’s illustrations bring a quirky, fantastical Victorian aesthetic that highlights all the YES’s in color; the characters and backgrounds are rendered as black-and-white drawings.

A thought-provoking, positive guide to understanding boundaries.