Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day - Judith Viorst

by Lauri Griffin | More from this Blogger

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day is another one of those classic books that I think every child should read. We all have bad days. Children and adults will laugh and empathize with Alexander's day.

Poor Alexander is a little boy who wakes up with gum in his hair, he trips on his skateboard, and drops his sweater in the sink all on the first page. At breakfast his brothers find prizes in their cereal boxes. All he finds is breakfast cereal. He announces that he thinks he'll move to Australia.

Alexander's day keeps being terrible. He doesn't get a window in the carpool. His best friend has a new best friend and Alexander gets demoted to third best friend. At lunch he finds out that his mother forgot to put in dessert. At the dentist, his brothers have good checkups, but Alexander has a cavity. He fights with his brothers and gets in trouble. Again, he says he will move to Australia. The shoe store only has plain white sneakers in his size. The family goes to pick up the father at work. Alexander knocks over an ink bottle with his elbow, and even though his father tells him not to play with the phone, he thinks he called Australia. There are lima beans for dinner, and his bath his hot, he gets soap in his eyes, and he has to wear his railroad train pajamas. It's been a terrible day for him. His mother tells him that some days are like that, even in Australia.

This is a great read aloud book from author Judith Viorst. Ray Cruz's pen and ink illustrations are priceless, and really show the world from a grumpy little boy's point of view. My favorite is Alexander's face when he has to wear the hated pajamas.

Don't miss this childhood classic!

Also See:

Stone Soup - Marcia Brown

The Snowy Day - Ezra Jack Keats

Mr. Gumpy's Outing - John Burningham

Learn more about Lauri Griffin

Lauri lives in Colorado with her husband and three sons. Amidst all the laundry and packing of lunches, she tries to keep parenting fun.

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