It Wasn't Me!

by Daniel Fehr

“Who has ruined the wall???” “It wasn’t me!” “Me neither!” “I would never do that!” “I don’t even have the brushes!” Somebody has ruined this wall with paint. But none of these little, seemingly-innocent scoundrels will admit they did it. A fun story about taking responsibility for one´s actions. Colorful illustrations by artist Pauline Reeves accompany a lighthearted text by Daniel Fehr that is sure to make kids burst out laughing! [It Wasn’t Me] points the finger at taking responsibility for your actions in a lighthearted, yet nonetheless clear way that is sure to resonate with kids and their caregivers alike, making it an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to family, daycare center, preschool, elementary school, and community library collections. ~Midwest Book Review

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

24 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2019

About the author

Daniel Fehr (1980* in Winterthur, Switzerland) studied German literature and media studies at Princeton University (USA). Before that he studied photography at the Zurich University of the Arts and the School of Visual Arts in New York. Today, Daniel lives and works again in Switzerland, where he writes picture books and develops board games for children and families.

Reviews

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read this book, I wasn't sure what to think about it. A young girl paints a mural on a wall. Other children are sure that there will be a trouble. When a stern voice demands who painted the wall, the children are quick to deny they did it. When the children find out that the adult who is demanding to know who painted the wall actually likes it, they are quick to say they did it and try to enhance the wall, but end up ruining it, then denying it again. The actual child artist is honest from the get go. My ambivalence is about the lying and the unclear message. I read this one before I read it to my grandson and decided that I would read it to him. He immediately picked up that the children were lying and that "they wrecked the painting". He didn't seem to connect with the story, but he did like the illustrations. They are colourful, whimsical and full of expression. The book can be used for discussions about being truthful and honest and not trying to blame others. I like it a lot. There is also the aspect about taking credit for someone else's work. In the end, I rated this story higher than my initial assessment giving it 3.5 stars. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book upon request. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own.

[La Coccinelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't say I agree with the synopsis. There is nothing "clear" about the message, unless the message is to foist responsibility for bad behaviour onto someone else. When the kids think they're in trouble from the booming voice, they deny having anything to do with the painted wall. When it becomes clear that the painted wall is viewed as a good thing, they all want to take credit... and add to the artwork. When they wreck it, they all go back to denying their involvement and try to shift blame to a poor little toddler.

I'm not impressed. I was hoping for a better message here. Really, though, this book just encourages kids to dodge responsibility.

Thank you to NetGalley and nubeOcho for providing a digital ARC.

[January Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great and fun way to teach your children to take responsibility of their actions right and wrong. Cute. It gets the message across in a way that is sweet.

[Ren ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ IsBuriedInBooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

It Wasn’t Me! wasn’t for me. I’m not sure if the open-ended conclusion is meant to be mysterious or to spark discussion with kids, but it didn’t hit the mark for me. I don’t anticipate the target age group intuiting what Daniel Fehr’s story was attempting to convey, especially in a classroom setting.

It’s unfortunate because it started with such promise. I found myself nodding in approval at the beginning of the story, thinking about the potential for lessons: taking credit for someone else’s work; lying and changing stories to avoid blame; ruining someone else’s project; giving others credit for their work; arguing; and assigning blame.

The illustrations are cheerfully bright and well done. The children’s heads are the only discernible parts of the pictures from further than a couple feet away though; the finer details, like the paint cans and brushes, will be less than ideal for group reading. Otherwise, they work well with the story being told.


Thanks to Myrick Marketing & Media LLC, NubeOcho, and NetGalley for the provided e-ARC and the opportunity to read this book. My review is honest, unbiased, and voluntary. #NetGalley #ItWasntMe

[Storywraps · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three diverse girls claim that each separately have created a wonderful mural on a wall. It is colourful and beautiful and each take credit for the masterpiece. A loud stern voice interrupts their feud and demands "WHO PAINTED THIS WALL?! Shocked and scared each girl denies they had any part in it and start pointing and blaming each other for the mural.

The voice intensifies and gets agitated... "Tell me the truth WHO did this?" Oh my, the girls are in big trouble now and again reiterate that each didn't do it.

Who was the mastermind that created the mural if not the girls? What is the voice's motive for getting to the crux of the matter? Reprimand? or Praise for a job well done? You will have to read the story to find out the truth, the whole truth, regarding the genesis of this work of art.

The illustrations are colourful, whimsical and full of expression. The book is a perfect conversation starter about being truthful and honest and not trying to shift blame onto someone else. I like it a lot. I think kids ( and adults ) can learn a valuable life lesson from the story.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

When a lovely painting appears on the brick wall, several different youngsters claim credit for the artwork. But after a large adult voice wants to know who did it, they suddenly change their tune, not wanting to get into any trouble. As often happens in situations such as this one, each one points a finger at someone else until finally the real artist is revealed. When other embellishments are added, he gets the blame as well as the credit for the original work. The brightly-colored illustrations add a sense of zaniness to the story, and I particularly liked how the children are depicted but not the person belonging to that big, bold voice. The story itself captures exactly how youngsters will behave when they suspect they might be in trouble for something, and no one wants to take the blame.

[Raven Black · Rating 1 out of 5]

A story that starts with great potential: everyone takes claim for the beautiful painting that was done on a wall and when they learn who really did it, and notice the praise he gets, they get jealous and ruin it. This is where it falls apart and makes me wish there was a negative system. Instead of taking credit for their vandalism, they blame the kid/character that did the painting original, but did not do the damage. Instead of teaching a valuable lesson about not being jealous, learning from mistakes and learning to be happy for friends/others, this book ends on a the all too realistic note/issue of, "When it is great everyone takes credit for your work, but when it is horrible, you are left to take the blame on your own. Especially if you are not guilty."

[joyce w. laudon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a story about a painting and who made it. Three young girls both claim credit and deny making this masterpiece, as an off stage voice questions them. I honestly found this book to be confusing. I thought that the story was written to encourage children to both take credit for both the positive things that they do along with taking responsibility for the things that they may wish that they had not. I felt though that there was no resolution. If I was confused, will children be as well or am I missing something? Please let me know if you read this book. I like the idea and the illustrations are good but the intent was not clear in my view.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Mary Hamer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations in this book were lovely. That said, the message is rather confusing. If reading to children as a read aloud, a discussion can be had about taking credit for something you didn’t do and pointing fingers at others to avoid blame. However, I don’t think children will understand the message if reading independently. The concept of the story and the message the author was trying to get across is a good one, but this book fell short for me. 2.5 stars

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

We all loved this book, kids included! The story gave us the opportunity to talk about lying vs telling the truth. But it was also very funny! I was expecting this book to go a little differently, but it was way better than I imagined. And the artwork really tied it altogether and was bright and colorful--perfect for tiny humans!

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Every parent hears "it wasn't me" from time to time. This was a cute book, but not overwhelmingly great. The pictures were bright, but not in a style that I was super excited about.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn’t me who really enjoyed this squabble about which child painted a wall in the neighborhood. What I did like were the colors used in the illustrations.