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David

David Get in Trouble: kids bookshelf

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When David gets in trouble, he always says . . . "NO! It's not my fault! I didn't mean to! It was an accident!"

Whatever the situation, David's got a good excuse. And no matter what he's done "wrong," it's never really his fault. Soon, though, David realizes that making excuses makes him feel bad, and saying he's sorry makes him feel better. Once again, David Shannon entertains us with young David's mischievous antics and a lighthearted story that's sure to leave kids—and parents—laughing.

David Shannon is the award-winning writer and illustrator of many books for young readers, including 'How Georgie Radbourn Saved Baseball' (1994), a New York Times Best Illustrated book: and 'The Amazing Christmas Extravaganza' (1995), an American Bookseller Pick of the Lists. Most recently, he created the illustrations for Audrey Wood's 'The Bunyans' (1996), a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year and an ABC Children's Bookseller' Choice award Winner.

10 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2002

111 people are currently reading
3370 people want to read

About the author

David Shannon

206 books550 followers
David Shannon is the author and illustrator of many highly praised books for children. Born in Washington, D.C., he grew up in Spokane, Washington. He graduated from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, with a fine arts degree, and then moved to New York City. His editorial illustrations have appeared in The New York Times, Time, and Rolling Stone, and his artwork has appeared on numerous book jackets. Shannon is a passionate baseball fan and softball player. He and his wife now live in Los Angeles.


David Shannon @ Scholastic

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5 stars
10,221 (54%)
4 stars
4,224 (22%)
3 stars
3,020 (16%)
2 stars
820 (4%)
1 star
442 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 589 reviews
Profile Image for La Coccinelle.
2,259 reviews3,567 followers
October 27, 2018
What the hell was that?

Okay, maybe I just can't get past the illustrations. This kid looks like an evil, alternate-universe version of Caillou, and that just creeped me right out. He looks like his face has melted, and he even has pointy teeth. I can't say for sure, but I think I might've shied away from this book if it had been around when I was a kid because of the pictures alone.

And there's no story to redeem it. We just get page after page of David's excuses for being a brat. It's really hard to have sympathy for something that looks like it crawled out of your nightmares. So I couldn't exactly bring myself to care when he got punished. Seriously... is this thing supposed to be lovable? He has pointed teeth. Pointed teeth:

David

Nope. Sorry. This just isn't for me. Excuse me while I find some brain bleach.
Profile Image for Kenny.
587 reviews1,448 followers
December 25, 2018
1

I love David Shannon's DAVID SERIES. These are extraordinary picture books.

1
Profile Image for Mandy.
320 reviews403 followers
January 21, 2016
David seems to be quite the troublemaker! He's always getting into mischief and getting caught. He's pretty silly. My daughter loves these books!
Profile Image for midnightfaerie.
2,212 reviews128 followers
June 20, 2013
This is our second David book and we've read enough to know we all love these. My 2 yr old twins and 5 yr old could both get into this book, even though it was very simple reading. A youngster who seems to always get in trouble, there isn't any instance in David's life that at least one of my three children couldn't relate to, with either themselves or each other. They find him fascinating. The illustrations are bright and imaginative and so also keep their attention. This is a win-win all around in our household. We will now be reserving more of these from the library.
Profile Image for LaDonna.
174 reviews2,455 followers
January 25, 2019
If you have read one David book, then you have read them all. This is another cute tale of our heroic troublemaker. Without the illustrations, the book would not be the same. The adventures will definitely make you smile. The ending will definitely warm your heart. 💖
Profile Image for Kira Simion.
909 reviews144 followers
July 31, 2017
I was a David when I was younger. And occasionally I still am
Profile Image for Eva-Marie Nevarez.
1,693 reviews133 followers
March 2, 2011
My only problem here - and it's a big one for me - was the lack of text. I like my books with/for Julia to have some story to them and this is lacking to say the least.
The illustrations are Shannon all the way, along with the meat of the story but the surrounding parts - well, there just are none.
It's not even really a "story" but a few sentences put to pictures.
I'm sure there are people that prefer this kind, I don't and Julia doesn't either.
I suppose this would probably make a cool book for a child learning to read if they're capable of handling this already.
I wanted this to be like the others I had read, laugh out loud funny and all the way enjoyable. :(
Profile Image for Clara Jane Isch.
56 reviews
January 4, 2025
“Tells her [Clara] things she should not do. Now she knows what things are right and wrong”

Read to me and reviewed by my Aunt Josie.
Profile Image for Cameron.
21 reviews
Read
March 21, 2018
I think is very silly and has his troubles in this book if you like silly things i think you should read this.
Profile Image for Kristan Ruiz.
62 reviews
July 4, 2021
Read this book to my preschool aged clients and W T F. David looks like a gremlin straight out of hell who probably ate his way out of his mothers womb. In the book he just runs around wreaking havoc with no consequences such as attacking the cat, purposely knocking things over and spilling them and going to school without pants on.
By far the creepiest page is when David is sitting there holding his knees with a bar of soap in his mouth and the caption is “But daddy says it.” I had to stop right there and double check to make sure it was a children’s book and not a weird adult satire.
0/10. Do not recommend. I should’ve read it beforehand. I hope the kids I work with don’t get any weird ideas from it
Profile Image for Slayermel.
899 reviews36 followers
October 18, 2009
I really love the illustrations in the "David" books. They are bright, funny and really suit the story.
This story is about all the excuses David uses when he gets in trouble!
I enjoy this book because every class has a version of David in it, and the children seem to love it as they are always giggling at the pictures as I'm reading it. :0)
Profile Image for Sylvia.
Author 10 books70 followers
May 22, 2007
Great pictures, great character. Very suitable for children. They will love David. Just as my younger does!
117 reviews1 follower
January 15, 2015
I think it's great how the author used such a creative font and illustrations that will make the children connect instantly.
10 reviews
November 21, 2017
David Gets in Trouble, written and illustrated by David Shannon is an extraordinary picture book. The book is about a young boy, David, whose actions cause him to get into trouble; however he manages to come up with numerous excuses for his mistakes. Throughout the story David uses excuses such as he didn't mean to, when he was skate boarding through the house. When he hit a baseball through the window it was obviously an accident. He refused to eat his eggs. He even "forgot" to wear pants to school. David attempts to say his dog ate his homework and makes a silly face for his school picture. Everywhere David seems to go and everything he does he tends to get in trouble for, but he just doesn't want to admit his wrongdoings. When he does get in trouble he either thinks it's funny or doesn't understand why he is getting in trouble for it. Finally, at the end of the story, when it looks like David is waking up from a bad dream or is laying in bed alone, he admits it was him! He then apologizes for all of his wrongdoings. He is apologizing to who the reader would assume to be his mother. Lastly, the book ends with David in bed telling his mom he loves her. It is a happy ending to a book with such a mischievous child.

David Gets in Trouble by David Shannon is finally told from David's point of view. I think Shannon's font choice is what makes this book so unique. The book is told from David's perspective and his font actually makes it look like David wrote the book. The letters are big and crooked. They are black and look like they have been re-traced a few times to get the bold look. There are only a few words per page. In a few pages there are colors mixed in with the words, such as the page where David says" But Dad says it!" there is yellow on the D and a in Dad. The s in says also looks like a beginner writer wrote it, with the first hump bigger than the second hump. The words are placed in no particular order from page to page. They are always in the opening gap of the picture. At times they are on top, bottom, or either side, it just depends on where they fit best. Shannon's font stays the same throughout the book, except on the first page when the book is explaining what David says when he gets in trouble. I believe this font choice helps readers, especially young children connect even more with the story because it looks as if a child wrote it themselves.

The illustrations are created using acrylic paint. The technique is a combination of acrylic paint strokes inside black colored pencil or pen sketches. At first glance, the pictures look like they could have been drawn by a child. The style used is cartoon art. Shannon uses bright bold colors in each of his illustrations. The pictures span and cover both pages.

Overall, David Gets in Trouble is a good book that teaches a lesson about honesty while involving humor. The literary elements of the book are effective because the plot is easily understood and the theme is relevant. The artistic elements enhance the text and give a humorous interpretation of David’s character. The book is socially relevant due to the issue it deals with about creating excuses to stay out of trouble. The hidden message is that it is better to admit to one’s mistakes than come up with excuses.
Profile Image for Heather.
20 reviews1 follower
November 10, 2017
David is a troublesome kid who often gets in trouble with everyone around him. Rather than apologize for his wrong doings, he constantly makes excuses about why he does it. He blames others around him, he claims that he didn't mean to, it was an accident. He uses every excuse in the book to get himself out of trouble for what he's done. At the end of the story, he finally apologizes to assumedly his mother and tells her that he loves her.

I think this book could potentially be a bad influence on younger readers who take it seriously, but for those who know not to do this, I think it's funny. It's definitely entertaining and many kids probably relate to it. The art work is almost as if a child drew it, especially the first page since it looks like a journal page with crayons laying on it. Everything is done with warm colors, cool colors only coming in for a few pages. Every single page is a double spread which really adds to the effect of what he's doing wrong and shows that he's not actually sorry no matter what he says.
20 reviews1 follower
Want to read
March 14, 2018
Text-to-world

In the book "David Gets in Trouble", The main character, David, is being told to make better decisions. As a parent or an adult in charge in general, we tend to preach to our children to do the right things BEFORE they make poor decisions. In many instances, we have to sit back and allow the child to make mistakes to understand the lesson that we were trying to teach. We tell our children not to play ball in the house because as adults, we know the possible outcomes. A child will naturally do the opposite of what is asked of them until they go through what it is that the adult is trying to prevent. At the end of the story, David's mom tells him that she loves him, even though she had to correct him earlier that day. Working in pre-kindergarten, I make it a habit to tell my children that I love them or express things that they do correctly after having to redirect them.
Profile Image for melhara.
1,782 reviews91 followers
June 15, 2022
The text is certainly easy enough for beginner readers to read but I wasn't a fan of the illustrations at all. La Coccinelle's review summarizes it perfectly - David looks like a nightmarish version of Caillou.

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Part of a personal challenge to read all of my boyfriend's and his sister's childhood books before we donate and give them away.
9 reviews
February 14, 2022
Text-to-Self Connection

It was during the summer of 2021 this book was introduce to myself and my sons. After reading it once, we couldn't get enough of it! I even read it to the students in my 3yr old classroom. The lesson I wanted to instill in my children is to always think about your actions, before making a decision. It helped with children understanding there are consequences to their behavior. Children see David as a mischievous child always in trouble for his naughty behavior. As I read the book aloud, I asked my students questions about David's actions. They really enjoyed telling me how David's behavior could be corrected.
Profile Image for Hope.
46 reviews4 followers
January 7, 2018
All the books in the David series are funny and so enjoyable to read over and over again!👍👍📚👍👍❤️❤️💗❤️
Profile Image for Jessica Mitchell.
2,051 reviews19 followers
March 8, 2020
David gets in trouble

Kids liked it. Was too easy to read for my second grader. But my kindergartener liked it through. Pictures were good and kids enjoyed David's antics
Profile Image for Meredith.
512 reviews24 followers
July 10, 2023
Checked this one out for Little One too! He is a BIG fan. Always gets worked up when he sees what trouble David has caused now...!

Five stars.
29 reviews
February 8, 2018
One of a series for little David. He is learning that he can't do everything he wants all the time because there may be consequences...riding skateboard in the house? Mostly pictures to discuss with children. Several different ages for this book. As an adult , I found myself smiling because my kids did some of the things in the book.
52 reviews4 followers
September 9, 2016
1) This book is short, sweet, and to the point. The whole David series of books is about a boy who cannot stay out of trouble, like most boys David's age. Therefore the David series is very relatable. This particular David book is about what David says when he gets in trouble from "I'm sorry", to "I didn't mean to", to "I love you mom".
2) Age Level: 4-8 years old, Grade Level: Preschool-3rd grade
3) Appropriate classroom use of this book would be to show students what is right and wrong in the classroom and outside of the classroom
4) Individual students who may benefit from this book are students that enjoy funny books, and students that may do some of these things at home
5) Small group use of this book could be used to learn about character traits, and get them to draw David and write words around him that describe him and what his main character trait may be.
6) Whole class use of this book could be used on each page while reading aloud to the students asking them "Was this okay what David did, and why?" encouraging them to really think about what is right and wrong.
7) Related Books: David Goes to School, No David!
8) There is a Kindle version of this book, and also YouTube videos where the story is read along with the pictures shown.
Profile Image for Michele Stephenson.
6 reviews
April 6, 2013
This book sooo reminds me of what took place in my own household. When my husband and I had our third child, we moved my 4 year old daughter into my 8 year old sons bedroom. Boy oh boy was that tragic!! It seemed like everyday they were at each others throat.

The main character in this book is Alex, who has a new baby sister and now has to share a room with his younger brother. Alex starts to write humorous letters to his mom and dad about how he needs his own room.
Finally, dad gives in a helps Alex to build a tree house that he an have all to himself. In the end it is Alex who finds himself lonely and has to find it within himself to ask his little brother to come and play with him inside his
treehouse.

I believe all children with siblings can truly relate to this book. For years and years there has and will always be some sort of sibling rivalry. This book has quirky illustrations which are great! Especially the picture of where Alex has "quarantined" his brother in their bedroom. This illustration would have kids cracking their sides in laughter. This book would be a great read aloud for children ages 5-8.
Profile Image for Araceli Aispuro.
51 reviews
February 23, 2014
David is a young boy who just can't seem to keep himself out of trouble. He has a million different excuses for everything he does wrong. Sometimes he just doesn't mean to, we all know that accidents happen all the time, and it's ok to forget things every now and then. But one night David realizes he's been making up too many lies and excuses. Finally David decides to apologize to his mom for all the that he trouble he has caused her.

I have compared this book to other books I have read. This books tells the story mostly through it's illustrations because there is very little text. The text in the story simply add to the humor of the photos. This book made me laugh and smile. I personally believe that this book is appropriate for the age group it was written for. I find that this book could range from K-5th because the text is not too difficult to read for the younger grades and although it isn't hard to read it is very humorous.

Displaying 1 - 30 of 589 reviews

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