School Library Journal Starred Review (Mon Nov 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)

PreS-K It's one of those days. Lily's mom is sick. Her dad has to work. "'Guess what!' says Dad. 'You're going to play at Melanie's house! Won't that be fun?'" Hughes's gouache illustrations, notable for their charming, colorful casualness, show Dad's forced cheerfulness and Lily's skepticism. "'Don't want to go,'" she protests. As Lily progresses from hiding under the table to participating in Melanie's household, young readers may well be thinking, that's not so bad, while adults wish that Melanie could be cloned and distributed worldwide. It's equally funny and predictable that when Dad comes to pick her up, Lily doesn't want to go. Hughes, one of the most beloved picture-book authors/illustrators in the world, is a master of understated, wry stories about the seemingly small incidents that loom large in a child's life. Her artwork looks unassuming and traditional but her brilliant layouts expertly mirror and emphasize every element in the text. While Don't Want to Go! contains a fair amount of text, it will capture the attention of preschoolers and kindergarteners when shared one-on-one and in small gatherings.— Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY

ALA Booklist (Fri Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)

Starting with the image of the fuming toddler on the cover, award-winning illustrator Hughes captures a child's body language in scenarios everyone will recognize. Lily's mom wakes up with the flu one morning, so Dad takes Lily to play at their neighbor Melanie's house while he is at work. Lily is clear that she hates the idea: Don't want to go! First she sits and seethes under Melanie's table and refuses snacks: Don't want toast. Then she gradually bonds with Melanie's baby, Sam, learns to cut and paste silly collages from magazines (a piece of cake on a lady's head; a building balanced on a chest of drawers), holds the dog's leash when they fetch Sam's brother, Jack, from school, and snuggles with everyone on the sofa to watch television. When Dad comes to fetch Lily and bring her home, she is adamant once again: Don't want to go! Set against plenty of white space, the expressive gouache illustrations keep the focus on Lily's feelings, from furious to blissful.

Horn Book (Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2011)

When Mom wakes up with flu, Lily's dad takes the decidedly unenthusiastic ("Don't want to go!") preschooler to neighbor Melanie's house. There, Lily initially resists the woman's overtures but gradually warms up through the ordinary events of a preschooler's happy day. Homey, cheerful gouache illustrations set amidst plentiful white space allow children to focus on Lily's expressions and the interactions between characters.

Kirkus Reviews

Pleasantly predictable, this new offering from a veteran perfectly captures a typical childhood experience. Parents in particular will recognize young Lily's initial resistance to a change in her routine and chuckle at her eventual about face. With her stay-at-home mom sick in bed and her father heading to work, arrangements must be made for Lily's care. Her delaying tactics (first pouting, then losing her mittens) don't slow things much, and soon she finds herself hustled off to a friendly neighbor. She warms up slowly, but a cheerful baby and engaging puppy help the process considerably. By the time her father arrives at the end of the day, Lily's snuggled on the sofa with Ringo the dog and has changed her tune, if not her actual words. Plenty of repetition, including the title phrase, and lots of simple declarative sentences keep the relatively long text from dragging and enhance the charmingly child-like tone. Hughes's characteristic chubby-cheeked tots and slightly scratchy ink work further expand her tale's appeal. Familiar and comforting. (Picture book. 3-6)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Lily, like most preschoolers, is a creature of habit. So when Mom's flu and Dad's job requires her to spend a day at the house of Melanie, a grown-up family friend she barely remembers, Lily is resistant; she repeats the book's title and ""went all stiff and would not get out of the stroller."" Melanie proves to be a diplomatic hostess, however, and gradually Lily warms up to her surroundings, giving new meaning to ""Don't want to go!"" in the end. Hughes's (the Olly and Me books) unadorned narration exudes empathy for the dislocated Lily ("" %E2%80%98Don't want toast,' said Lily. She forgot to say thank you""). And her densely textured, saturated gouache images, which emphasize the connections between characters over environmental detailing, make a strong case that the right people can make any situation feel homey. Despite Melanie having a baby and dog to care for, her patience is unflappable, and Lily's gradual acceptance of the situation unfolds naturally and believably. Ages 3%E2%80%935. (Oct.)