Plot Summary

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.

Textual Elements

Genre:The genre of this picture book is Contemporary Realistic Fiction, because the storyline of the book is current and rational. Many children and even adults can relate to the events David goes through. They too have done the things David has done or has known someone who has eaten dog food, broken a window with a baseball, etc.

Setting:The setting of the story is David’s community, which includes his house, neighborhood and school.

Characters:

David is the main character of the story. He is the playful young boy who causes all of the trouble. He is of elementary school age. David seems like he has quite an interesting, fun, and naughty personality.

While David’s mother is not really shown throughout the book. Her body is shown, but never her face. She does play the significant role of disciplinarian though.

David's classmates, dog,  and cat also make minor appearances. David's classmates are seen throughout the story laughing or looking at David. His dog is blamed for eating his homework and his dog watches him eat what are supposed to be his snacks. Lastly, David's cat is shown when David is pulling her tail insisting she likes it.

Point of View:  David Gets in Trouble by David Shannon is finally told from David's point of view. In the Author's Note, Shannon explains that this is his third book about David. Shannon's first book in the series, No, David! was told from his mom's perspective. The second book, David Goes to School was told from David's teachers perspective, and finally David gets to tell his own side of the story in David Gets in Trouble. After the first page, the rest of the story is in first person with David talking.

Theme:There are multiple themes to this story. One being, children make a lot of mistakes and will say just about anything to keep from getting into trouble. At first they deny it because they don't want to get in trouble, but then they actually feel bad so they admit their wrongdoings and apologize, but it's a process that takes time. Also, David just wants his mom and even though he does all of these bad things he still wants her there and loves her. This is showing that no matter what you do or what excuses you make your parents will always love you. In the end, this book is a lesson of honesty.

Text/ Font Choices: 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.

Artistic Elements 

     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.

Analysis and Critique

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.

Citation

Shannon, David. David Gets in Trouble. New York, NY: The Blue Sky Press, 2002

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