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Story Time with Sara: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
Alexander and the Terrible,Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
written by Judith Viorst
published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 1987
find it here: (affiliate links) Barnes & Noble, Amazon, iBooks, Book Depository, Goodreads
Did I enjoy this book: Alexander was a staple of my own childhood, so I was eager to share him with my own children. My son loves it just as much as I did as a child. The best aspect of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day is that it demonstrates that you don’t always get your way and sometimes (even in Australia) you have a bad day. I feel this is a lesson that many children today are lacking.
The illustrations are black and white and could be a little more engaging, but my toddler doesn’t seem to mind all that much. One of the things that bothers me from a parenting perspective is that Alexander uses the word “hate” quite a lot. As a parent, I try to encourage my children to express themselves without using negative labeling words like “hate” and “can’t.” It’s okay not to like something, but I would rather my children explain what they don’t like instead of just applying a label. That being said, I still read this to my children frequently. We talk about better ways for Alexander to express his feelings about things that he doesn’t like, so it all works out to be a teaching moment.
Would I recommend it: This is a fun book that I enjoy reading to my children, and I would recommend it to parents who are looking for an entertaining story with a useful lesson.
About the book – from Goodreads: The perennially popular tale of Alexander’s worst day is a storybook that belongs on every child’s bookshelf.
Alexander knew it was going to be a terrible day when he woke up with gum in this hair.
And it got worse…
His best friend deserted him. There was no dessert in his lunch bag. And, on top of all that, there were lima beans for dinner and kissing on TV!
This handsome new edition of Judith Viorst’s classic picture book is sure to charm readers of all ages.
