I Ain't Gonna Paint No More!

A New York Times best-selling masterpiece featuring a sing-song rhyming text and humorous energetic illustrations about a spirited child and outside-the-box, creative thinking.

When the child gets caught painting everything from the ceiling to the floor, Mama says "Ya ain't a-gonna paint no more!" But nothing will keep this artist from painting! Written to the familiar tune "It Ain't Gonna Rain No More," the text bounces alongside vibrant stylized pen-and-ink drawings, while page-turns offer up a fun read-aloud guessing game in which kids will delightfully participate. What will the child paint next? "So I take some red and I paint my . . . HEAD!" Silliness paired with the ruckus read-aloud appeal will have every reader begging for repeat reads.

Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 2–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!" Fresh from his bath, the child rescues his hidden supplies and says, "So I take some red/and I paint my…/HEAD!" Subsequent rhymes move from neck down to feet as he adds gobs of color to different areas. Since the last word of each verse comes on the following page, readers get the satisfaction of completing the anticipated rhyme and seeing each newly painted body part with each page turn. Catrow splashes color all over, uses white space cleverly, and includes playful flourishes, such as a marching row of ants on the boy's arm and Easter egg designs on his leg. Elongated figures and exaggerated expressions match the silly tone of the story, and the concerned dog who observes the antics is particularly amusing. With rhymes that invite audience participation and scenes that draw the eye, this is a strong storytime choice. Based on the song "It Ain't Gonna Rain No More," the rhythmic text can be read or sung with equal effectiveness. In a mischievous conclusion, when readers think that the boy has painted everything, he finishes with, "But I'm such a nut,/gonna paint my–/WHAT?!" Fortunately, he's out of supplies and winds up back in the bathtub.–Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, OR
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American Library Association Notable Book  "Catrow splashes color all over, uses white space cleverly, and includes playful flourishes, such as a marching row of ants on the boy's arm and Easter egg designs on his leg. Elongated figures and exaggerated expressions match the silly tone of the story, and the concerned dog who observes the antics is particularly amusing. With rhymes that invite audience participation and scenes that draw the eye, this is a strong storytime choice." - School Library Journal "Given the plot's premise, Catrow's humorously hyperbolic art fittingly takes center stage here, growing increasingly flamboyant and electric as the boy embellishes more and more of his anatomy-and his playful pooch becomes equally well decorated." - Publisher's Weekly —

Karen Beaumont is known for her lively and celebratory picture books, including I Like Myself! and the New York Times bestseller I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More!, both illustrated by David Catrow, as well as No Sleep for the Sheep!, illustrated by Jackie Urbanovic, and Wild About Us!, illustrated by Janet Stevens. She lives in California. www.karenbeaumont.com.

David Catrow is an editorial cartoonist and the illustrator of more than seventy books for children, including the New York Times bestseller I Ain't Gonna Paint No More! and I Like Myself!, both written by Karen Beaumont, Dozens of Cousins by Shutta Crum, Plantzilla by Jerdine Nolen, and Rotten Teeth by Laura Simms. He lives in Ohio. www.catrow.com.