1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Viorst, Judith. 1972. ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY. Ill. By Ray Cruz. New York City, NY: Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing Division. ISBN 0689300727
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This is an honest description of a universal truism: sooner or later, everyone has a bad day. Alexander is refreshing in its embrace of the awfulness of a terrible day. Contrary to contemporary picture books, Viorst’s classic doesn’t try to solve the child’s problem or rescue the main character. Instead, it simply lets Alexander wallow in the pit of his bad day, which in the end shows young kids that sometimes, success is simply enduring the bad. The only way to fix Alexander’s problem is to barrell through to the end. A great picture book to open a discussion about getting through something upleasant, like a standardized test or a cavity filling.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
KIRKUS REVIEW: “truly attuned to a child's point of view”
Viorst, Judith. 1972. ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY. Ill. By Ray Cruz. New York City, NY: Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing Division. ISBN 0689300727
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Ever have a bad day? Then join Alexander on his romp through the terrible. From gum in his hair when he wakes up to a burned out Mickey Mouse nightlight when he returns to bed, Alexander suffers through a very bad day. He endures an uncomfortable carpool ride to school, no dessert at lunch and a cavity discovered during a trip to the dentist. Throughout this sad and lonely day, he declares that he’s moving to Australia. At the end, tucked into bed with no nightlight, his mom tells him “some days are like that. Even in Australia.”
This is an honest description of a universal truism: sooner or later, everyone has a bad day. Alexander is refreshing in its embrace of the awfulness of a terrible day. Contrary to contemporary picture books, Viorst’s classic doesn’t try to solve the child’s problem or rescue the main character. Instead, it simply lets Alexander wallow in the pit of his bad day, which in the end shows young kids that sometimes, success is simply enduring the bad. The only way to fix Alexander’s problem is to barrell through to the end. A great picture book to open a discussion about getting through something upleasant, like a standardized test or a cavity filling.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
KIRKUS REVIEW: “truly attuned to a child's point of view”
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: Number eight on the SLJ list of Top 100 Picture Books: “Of all the books out there that deal with schadenfreude, none do it quite so well as Alexander.”
5. CONNECTIONS
*For parents, this book's somber presence can open a dialogue about surviving unpleasant events which cannot be avoided, like testing, shots or a grandparent’s funeral.
*The Kennedy Center hosted an adaptation of the book and makes available an interview with Judith Viorst about her inspiration for Very Bad Day.
*Visit Judith Viorst’s author page with Simon and Schuster for more information about Judith, including a spunky interview of her thoughts on life and love at the age of eighty.
*To learn about Ray Cruz, the unsung hero of an illustrator who brought Alexander to life, view the The University of Southern Mississippi’s collection of Ray Cruz Papers.
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