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

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, written by Judith Viorst and illustrated by Ray Cruz, is not a new picturebook but it is a classic that deserves its time here. Alexander wakes up with gum in his hair, and the day just goes down hill from there. He gets smushed in the car pool, has a fight with his friends, and a lunch with no dessert! He wants to leave all the bad things behind him ad run away to Australia. In the end, the day does not change, but when he shares his bad day with his mother she commiserates and tells him that some days are just like that even in Australia.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day is one that everyone can relate to, regardless of their age. We have all had a day (or week or month) when it seems like anything that could go wrong does. Sometimes of not fault of own, sometimes exacerbated by the mood such a day can put us in. I can feel Alexander's pain through out the story, and have often contemplated running off somewhere else (or into a book) in order to escape.

I think that everyone should read Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day at least once, because we can all relate. It can help those having a bad day understand that they are not alone, some days are just like that, and tomorrow will be better.