One Of Those Days
PreSchool-Grade 2 Rosenthal enumerates ways in which a child's happiness can be squelched by a rotten day. The array of mishaps includes sibling and friendship problems, disappointing birthdays, itchy clothing, misplaced belongings, and self-doubt. Each unwelcome incident warrants a special designation. There's a Keep Spilling Stuff Day, a Nobody's Listening To You Day, a Gutter Ball Day, and a Not Big Enough Day. This succinct book is not a story but an imaginative list of calamities that culminates predictably with the promise that all bad days lead to a new dawn. The angst of the characters is rendered effectively through the partnership of Rosenthal's words and Doughty's cartoons, reminiscent of her illustrations in Harriet Ziefert's39 Uses for a Friend(2001) and31 Uses for a Mom(2003, both Putnam). The format of this humorous book will serve as an excellent springboard for students trying their own hands at writing about one of those days.Gloria Koster, West School, New Canaan, CTCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.