Image: Publishers Weekly
Bibliographic Data
Viorst, Judith. 1972. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. Illustrated by Ray Cruz. ISBN: 0689300727.
Plot Summary
Alexander wakes up with gum in his hair and realizes it's not going to be a good day. Many events happen to confirm his expectations, but he makes it through the day with the repeated response “I think I'll move to Australia.” His mom reassures him at the end of the story that some days are just like that, even in Australia.
Critical Analysis
As the amusingly grouchy Alexander faces a challenging day, the reader can sympathize with his plight. The story's simple, honest approach to one child facing disappointments and difficulties reminds us that we all have bad days and are not the only one going through challenges. Written for children ages 5-9, this story has many deliberate run-on sentences that list everything going wrong for Alexander at that moment in a hurried rush. His litany of woes is occasionally broken up by the refrains of it being a “terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day” or “I think I'll move to Australia.” The black-and-white illustrations are very detailed and show Alexander's expressions so well it's easy to forget he's a fictional character. The drawings truly bring the words to life. While one might expect a story about a bad day to be depressing, this story is sure to make readers chuckle.
Awards
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day has won two awards and been selected as a notable book by two organizations:
- ALA Notable Children's Book
- George G. Stone Center Recognition of Merit
- Georgia Children's Book Award
- Reading Rainbow book
Reviews
School Library Journal: “It’s been more than 30 years, and the luck of the put-upon young protagonist in Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day hasn’t changed one bit. Judith Viorst’s ever-popular picture book, originally published in 1972, still holds plenty of appeal for children.”
New York Times: “In "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" (1972), the author, this time writing humorously and in the first-person voice of her 6-or-so-year-old protagonist, unfurled a young child's earful of poignant, colorful complaints … The new, up-tempo mix of pathos and punch line worked, and (more than a million copies later) still holds up nicely, thanks perhaps equally to the author's surface cleverness and underlying insight.”
Connections
Enrichment Activities
Due to the book's popularity, a video of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day was made in 1990 that expands the original tale with a quest for Alexander's favorite yo-yo and singing. Children may enjoy watching it. A copy of it is posted on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ezbssw11724
This story presents the opportunity to discuss feelings with children. What does happy, sad, frustrated, or disappointed feel like? You can get flashcards of faces expressing different emotions and help children recognize what emotion goes with each expression.
Alexander talks about moving to Australia, which opens up the conversation to discussing Australia. How is Australia like America, and how is it different? What is life like for people in other countries?
Related Readings
Other Alexander Books:
- Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday by Judith Viorst (Atheneum, 1987)
- Absolutely, Positively Alexander by Judith Viorst (Atheneum, 1997)
- Alexander, Who's Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move by Judith Viorst (Atheneum, 1998)
Similar Books:
- The Berenstain Bears' Trouble with Money by Stan and Jan Berenstain (Random House Books for Young Readers, 1983)
- Amber Brown Is Feeling Blue by Paula Danziger (Scholastic Paperbacks, 1999)
- The Penguin Problem by Abby Klein (Scholastic Paperbacks, 2010)
No comments:
Post a Comment