Review of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

I was talking with a friend after having a week filled with chaos. On Monday I was trying to finish a project when the electricity suddenly went out and stayed off half the day. The next day I got up and discovered my kitchen had been invaded by monster ants, and I spent that day taking care of the infestation. By Wednesday, the day I was talking to my friend, needless to say I was exasperated. My friend said, "You need to read Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day." She sent me a copy.

"Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" was written by Judith Viorst, and is available in paperback. This delightful tale of young Alexander starts with his rising to realize the gum he forgot to spit out the night before is now stuck in his hair. He then gets out of bed and trips on his skateboard. Then he drops his sweater in a sink of water. To quote Alexander, "...I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day."

From that point we follow Alexander through his day dealing with his older brothers, the dentist, school friends and having an elevator door close on his foot. He copes with his bad day by having thoughts of Australia. Surely, he wouldn't have so many problems there. When the family goes by to pick his dad up from work, Alexander accidentally has a mishap with some things on his dad's desk, and he thinks he may have called Australia. It made me wonder if his dad might be thinking about Australia, too.

Not only is the book a fun read, but the black-and-white illustrations by Ray Cruz are captivating of this young boy having a bad day, something most every reader will understand. Anyone who has ever raised a little boy will especially relate to the frustration of poor Alexander. And by the end of the book, the reader is hoping that Alexander's day will get better somewhere along the way.

"Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" is published by Aladdin Paperbacks, Children's Publishing Division of Simon & Schuster. I would say the age range for this book would be from very young to elementary school age children.

My friend was right that I identified with Alexander, and I really enjoyed reading his story. In fact, it made me start thinking what it would be like in Australia. I wonder if they have ants there.

Source:

"Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day"