Module 2: Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day

Book Cover Image: 

Image taken from Simon & Schuster

Genre:
The book Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day comes from the list of classic picture books and authors.  The book was originally published in 1972 and was written by Judith Viorst and illustrated by Ray Cruz.  The age of the book alone is not what makes this book a classic though. A classic book must be well-written and have a story, theme, or lesson that is relevant regardless of what decade we are in. Simply put, a classic is a classic because it is timeless!
This book could easily be added to the category of realistic fiction.  Although the book is a work of fiction, it is a story that could very easily have happened to a real child, thus making it very realistic.
 
Book Summary:
This story follows a young boy named Alexander who wakes up with gum in his hair and just knows that it is going to be a “terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day” therefore he thinks he will just move to Australia. As Alexander goes through his day he has many different experiences, some of which may not have been so bad if everything else had been a little better.  When you are having a terrible day, everything, even if it isn’t that bad such as having to have lima beans for dinner, is that much worse.  That night his mom tucks him in and reassures him that everyone has bad days sometimes, even in Australia.

APA Reference of Book:

Viorst, J. (1972). Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day (First ed.). New York: Atheneum Macmillan Publishing Company.

Impressions:
The great thing about this book is that children and adults can relate to Alexander.  We have all woken up and had one thing go wrong and we just know that it is going to be one of those days. Some of the horrible moments Alexander experience are of his own making, such as fighting with his brother and making a mess at his dad’s office.  Some of the others, such as his mom forgetting his dessert and his issues with his friends, are things that just happen.  The problem is it all happened in one day, which is something everyone will experience in life, often more than once, creating the perfect storm of a “terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.”  In addition to the story, the simple black and white sketch illustrations capture the various emotions Alexander experiences throughout the story. Whether a parent is reading the story aloud or a child reading it on their own, the illustrations compliment the story beautifully and add a great deal of feeling to the already well-told story. 

Professional Review:
Taken from Kirkus Review, posted online March 12, 2012
“In the spiky spirit of Sunday Morning (1969) but more truly attuned to a child's point of view, Viorst reviews a really aggravating (if not terrible, horrible, and very bad) day in the life of a properly disgruntled kid who wakes up with gum in his hair and goes to bed after enduring lima beans for dinner and kissing on T.V.
At school, "Mrs. Dickens liked Paul's picture of sailboat better than my picture of the invisible castle," and at lunch, "guess whose mother forgot to put in dessert?" After school "my mom took us all to the dentist and Dr. Fields found a cavity just in me," and there is worse to come. It's no wonder the kid's ready to move to Australia, but in the end, "My mom says some days are like that. Even in Australia."
If Alexander's mother is smart to offer casual sympathy without phony consolation, Cruz and Viorst accord readers the same respect.”

APA Reference of Professional Review:

 Kirkus Media, LLC. (2012, March 12). Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Retrieved from Kirkus: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/judith-viorst/alexander-and-terrible-horrible-no-good-very-b/

Library Uses:
This book has great potential to be used for social lessons with children about the simple fact that not everyone has a good day every day.  As a librarian, I would prepare a kit for this book to be used by elementary counselors for use with children ranging in age from 5-9 years old. The story would be used with young children when they are having one of those bad days at school to help them understand that everyone has bad days.  Storytelling is a calming and soothing way to help a child relax and then it opens the conversation to discuss why Alexander had a bad day. Once they have discussed Alexander’s day, the counselor would be able help the child talk about their own bad day. Additionally, classroom teachers could use the book if he or she sees that a large majority of the class is having a rough day.  When you are having a bad day, especially as a child, you may feel like you are the only one who has bad days.  This book would help reassure that it is normal, and that tomorrow is a new  

Readalikes:

For children on the younger end of the recommended age range needing reinforcement on dealing with social/ emotional issues such as frustration and disappointment, I would recommend Mo Willem’s Don’t let the Pigeon drive the bus. Just as Alexander had frustration from his bad day, Pigeon is frustrated because he wants to do something that he is not allowed to do. 

Where the wild thingsare is another classic picture book that follows a young boy, Max, who is getting into mischief and is sent to his room without his super.  Children who enjoyed and related to Alexander’s bad day, will greatly enjoy Max’s adventure after being sent to his room.  The illustrations capture his emotions helping young children feel the story while reading it.

As a mom of three boys, they loved the character Alexander, therefore when they were younger I searched high and low for another book featuring the beloved character. My searching found another beloved tale by Judith Viorst that our family has cherished for many years. Alexander, who used to be rich last Sunday stars Alexander as he learns the value of money and that life is not always fair. The wonderful sketch illustrations are paired with humor and a valuable lesson in life and finances. 


Checkout my Goodreads list of children and youth literature I read during the Spring 2018 Semester at UNT. 

Module 1: Souperchicken

Book Cover Image: 

Image taken from Amazon.com (Amazon.com Inc, n.d.)

Genre:
In the learning module for the class, the book is listed as “books about reading” but it could also be listed as “books adults like that are not necessarily good books”. This book is primarily about reading, as the main character, Henrietta, chooses to read instead of doing her job of laying eggs.  Interestingly it is her reading that helps save all the other farm animals from being slaughtered and turned into soup, sausage, and hamburgers.  On the other hand, much of the humor in this book would likely be missed by the target audience, children in preschool – third grade, and only appreciated by an older audience which is why I also believe it could be listed in the other category. 

Book Summary:
The book, Souperchicken, follows a hen named Henrietta who spends more time reading than she does laying eggs.  The farmer comes along and takes away a truckload of hens for a “vacation” but leaves Henrietta behind.  Henrietta’s reading skills come in handy when she realizes they are not being taken on vacation, but rather to the Souper Soup company to be made into chicken soup.  The sign on the truck reads “Souper Soup Co” and once Henrietta realizes what this mean she leaps into action.  Henrietta goes on a adventure, rescuing all the different farm animals that are being taken to various processing companies to be turned into food. In the end she saves the animals and they end up on a farm of a vegetarian where their only job is to  eat the bugs from the organic vegetable garden.

APA Reference of Book:

Auch, M. J., & Auch, H. (2003). Souperchicken. New York: Holiday House.

Impressions:
Souperchicken certainly reinforces the positive benefits of learning to read, but the humor and puns in the story may be missed by the target audience.  My favorite part of this book, and something I think is most catching for young children, is the illustrations.  The title page has pictures of each of the hens that illustrates their unique personalities with their name written above each picture.  Henrietta, the main character of the story, is wearing reading glasses low on her beak in stereotypical reader fashion.  The illustrations may be enjoyable enough for beginning readers, but the target audience, likely readers getting ready for chapter books, may not enjoy the story enough to read it all the way through. There are some slightly humorous puns, but those are likely to be missed by young readers. In one scene Henrietta is reading a book titled Could the sky fall? by Chick N. Little.  Another scene, the farmer is getting the hens gathered up to go on the Souper Soup ompany truck and he tells the hens they can noodle their time away and simmer down and relax, all of which are puns about being made into soup.  The book takes an underlying stance that eating meat of any kind is very negative and that ultimately being a vegetarian is the best option for everyone.  I am never a fan of political messages being sent to young children under the cover of a beautifully illustrated book especially when it overpowers the pro-reading message which should have been the main theme of the story.  On the other hand, if your family is vegetarian, this could be a great book to teach about reading and your family’s values regarding food.

Professional Review:
School Library Journal review from Book Verdict, May 1, 2003
“K-Gr 4 A disappointing addition to Auch's collection of enjoyable stories featuring poultry with high aspirations. In Hen Lake (1995) and Bantam of the Opera (1997, both Holiday), the author successfully teamed a follow-your-dreams message with humorous storytelling, but in this tale about a self-taught hen, she runs afoul of her formula. When egg production is down, Henrietta's aunts think that the farmer is sending them on a well-deserved vacation, but the younger chicken's ability to read the truck's "Souper Soup" logo clues her in to their real destination. On her mission to save her relatives from the soup factory, Henrietta reads labels, maps, and signs, pausing along the way to warn truckloads of pigs and cows of their futures as sausages and hamburgers. After the rescue is complete, the heroine and her flock find refuge with a vegetarian organic farmer. By the end, the story's pro-reading emphasis is overwhelmed by its anti-meat slant, and ceaseless puns only underscore the macabre tone. Even if young readers understand the farmer's tasteless comments ("-she's a cream of a chicken") and the truck driver's replies ("No wonder you're wonton to keep her"), they are more likely to groan than chuckle. Auch's other protagonists were driven by the joy of self-expression; the sole motivation here is survival. The illustrations are colorful and expressive, but aren't enough to lighten the mood. Compared to the author's previous successes, this book simply isn't up to scratch.”

APA Reference of Professional Review:

Ortega, E. (2003, May 1). Souperchicken. Retrieved February 19, 2018, from Book Verdict: http://bookverdict.com/details.xqy?uri=Product-6337536.xml

Library Uses:
This book contains many puns and the use of figurative language which would be a great tool for a language arts lesson for early elementary students.  Understanding puns requires that students use their prior knowledge to comprehend what puns such as “It’ll be egg drop all over the place…” means.  The English language can be very complex, therefore using beautifully illustrated stories can help reinforce the many creative ways to use words.  Following the story, the teacher could encourage students to come up with their own puns using story prompts from the teacher or librarian. 

Readalikes:
If the children enjoyed the illustrations and characters from Souperchicken, I would strongly suggest reading The plot chickens also by Mary Jane and Herm Auch.  This book also stars Henrietta still the avid reader who decides to write her own story. The illustrations are fantastic and the story line, in my opinion, is much better than Souperchicken. 

If you want to use the story for lessons over figurative language, I would recommend branching out to a couple other authors who have books that would complement and expand the lesson.

In a pickle: and other funny idioms by Marvin Terban is a great book that helps young readers understand some of the funny sayings that are commonly used but don’t actually mean what they say.  Although the illustrations are not as great as Auch’s work, the book itself is a great resource and funny for young children.

Another great book that takes on the task of teaching similes and plays on words is Mydog is as smelly as dirty socks: and other funny family portraits by Hanoch Piven. The great thing about this book is it could be used to encourage kids to tell their own family story using different types of figurative language.  The illustrations encourage them to illustrate their own story in addition to writing it.  


Checkout my Goodreads list of children and youth literature I read during the Spring 2018 Semester at UNT.