Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Bibliography

Viorst, Judith. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Ill. by Ray Cruz. Aladdin Paperbacks, 1972. ISBN 0-689-71173-5.

Summary

Alexander knew his day was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day the moment when he woke up. He's got gum stuck in his hair, his brothers find prices in their cereal when all he found was cereal, he no longer is Philip Parker's first best friend but has been moved to being third, and the list goes on. So he decides that moving to Australia would be better. As his day goes on, luck does not seem to be on his side. In the hopes of comforting Alexander, his mother tells him that everyone has a bad day, even people in Australia.

Critical Analysis

Many of the aspects of this story can be related to by the readers. The main character, Alexander, is roughly the same age of the target audience so the readers can understand his feelings and become emotionally involved. The theme of the story is also relatable to various age groups. The readers can sympathize with Alexander and the frustration he feels when one thing after another seems to go wrong. The only thing he can think of that would make things go away would be to move, maybe someplace far away.

Considering the storyline and its content (such as, but not limited to, identifying various emotions), this story would be more suitable to children over 6 years of age. Younger children may not be able to identify their frustrations the way that Alexander does. But I think that this book is a good gateway for discussing feelings/emotions and how to handle them.

In the illustrations, Ray Cruz uses the black and white color scheme to emphasis shadows and to draw more attention to Alexander and his facial features. The artwork uses lots of shadow techniques to show different textures and depth. Cruz was able to depict the many emotions of Alexander: sad, upset, angry, disappointed, frustrated, disgusted and annoyed. Considering that the illustrations are not in color, some children may not want to pick up the book. They may want to seek out books with vivid and bright, bold colors. Alexander may need to be introduced by adults who loved this book growing up.

Review Excerpts
ALA Notable Children's Book
George G. Stone Center Recognition of Merit
Georgia Children's Book Award
Reading Rainbow book

Connections

Create class discussions about feelings and emotions and how they can be managed
Read other similar books:

• Alexander, Who Is Not (Did You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move by Judith Viorst
• A Good Day by Kevin Henkes
• Alexander and the Wonderful, Marvelous, Excellent, Terrific Ninety Days by Judith Viorst