The Very Bad Day

Source: amazon.com via TheFishie's on Pinterest

If you've been following my blog or know me at all, you know that I'm crazy about teddy bears. They have to satisfy a certain threshold of cuteness, but once they've met that level, I'll read any book, watch any cartoon, and consider buying merchandise. This book was an impulse grab off the shelves simply because there was teddy bear on the cover. I was not disappointed.

The Very Bad Day bears (opps, bears on the brain) some though not significant similarity to the much celebrated Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Immediately, my husband deemed this a knock off. But it's not. There's a very important unique character--a teddy bear. In this story, a little girl wakes up to a series of bits of bad luck beginning from when she falls out of bed. Because she didn't pick up her toys before going to bed, she stubs her toe and bangs her head. Through all of this, teddy looks slightly shocked and appropriately sympathetic. After a bit more clumsiness as she has breakfast, then she's off to find her friends to play with. Sadly, no one is home or at the park. On the way home, she and poor teddy get rained on adding more misery. Then suddenly all is well when she arrives at home to discover that her friends have come to visit her!

Yes, it's a trivial story, but I enjoyed it. The illustrations are detailed, particularly as to the teddy's facial expressions. There's a bit of multiculturalism randomly thrown in as the main character is Asian and her two friends are white and black, respectively. (They even have quasi-stereotypical names). I typically find this unnecessary and annoying when it's done so deliberately, but again, I can ignore a lot when there's a cute bear. Suitable for grades k-1. Recommended.

Source: Library Book