ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY by Judith Viorst and Ill. by Ray Cruz

Viorst, Judith. 1972. ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY. Ill. by Ray Cruz. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks. ISBN 0689711735. 

Plot Summary:

The protagonist of the story is a little boy by the name Alexander. His older brothers, Anthony and Nick are loosely used as the story’s antagonists to portray the positive or opposite emotions that Alexander is feeling. The story is written from the experience of a child between 6 and 9 years old from whom children readers of the same age can directly relate with. Alexander wakes up one morning and has unfortunate situations happen to him throughout the entire day. The reader follows him through his day from one unfortunate event to the next. Throughout the story, Alexander tells the reader that that he is having a very bad day. The setting of the story is within Alexander’s home, school and community and the story takes place from morning to bedtime. The story unfolds chronologically from the moment Alexander wakes to the time he goes to bed.

Critical Analysis:

This emotional story is about a child having many unfortunate events take place throughout a single day. It reveals to children that it is possible to have a very bad day, but to keep an optimistic outlook for the next day. The lesson is taught at the end of the book by Alexander’s revelation of a conversation he had with his mother before bedtime.

The entire story is told from the first person narrative by the protagonist. The repetition of him saying that he is having a very bad day reinforces the main theme of the story. Most of what happens to Alexander is out of his control and he is forced to experience the negative events creating a foreboding feeling within the reader. The black and white illustrations enhance this foreboding by focus on Alexander and his facial expressions of displeasure and frustration, while others around him are happy. These expressions could have been solely revealed by the illustrations and without having to rely on the text of the story, which is a testament to the illustrator.

The overall culture of the story centers on white children. Depictions of black children are in a few pages of the illustrations are present but not directly mentioned in the text. Even though, the universal message of the story is one that can be read and related to by all cultures of children.

Review Excerpt:

Kirkus Reviews issue September 1, 1972 stated, “In the spiky spirit of Sunday Morning (1969) but more truly attuned to a child's point of view, Viorst reviews a really aggravating (if not terrible, horrible, and very bad) day in the life of a properly disgruntled kid who wakes up with gum in his hair and goes to bed after enduring Lima beans for dinner and kissing on T.V."  (Kirkus, 2012).

Connections:

The book connection was with TIKKI TIKKI TEMBO by Arlene Mosel, where a Chinese boy has a series of unfortunate events with falling into the community’s water well. Both stories show that even when a situation in children’s lives appears, a positive outlook is encouraged in the stories.  

Personal Response:

I mentioned that I was reading this book for class while speaking with my Literacy Matters mentor and she said that that just happened to be her favorite book as a child. I had to honestly say that I had not read the story before but found it to be emotional and bleak at times. She stated that she would read and re-read the story nearly every time she went to the public library and found a unique personal connection with Alexander and his plight. I reread the story after our conversation and found the emotional elements of having situation run out of ones control that I feel many children can relate to. Overall I feel that the story portrays how even when negative situations happen, and the often do, a positive outlook on tomorrow must be maintained.   

References:

“Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.” Kirkus Reviews last modified March 12, 2012,  https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/judith-viorst/alexander-and-terrible-horrible-no-good-very-b/ (accessed September 8, 2013).

“Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.”  Wikipedia.org http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/25/ALEXANDER_TERRIBLE_HORRIBLE.jpg (accessed September 6, 2013).