Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Viorst, Judith. 1972. ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY Ill. by Ray Cruz. New York, NY: Scholastic. ISBN 0590421441

PLOT SUMMARY

Judith Viorst tells a story about a bad day through the viewpoint of a young boy named Alexander. Throughout the story the events of Alexander’s bad day are detailed from the moment he wakes up in the morning until he falls asleep that night. His only solace comes from the fact that he wants to move to Australia where there are no bad days. By the end of the story, Alexander comes to terms with the fact that bad days are a part of life.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Alexander is a character that most kids can relate to. He has a very unique image and illustration style that will stand out to kids as he chronicles the events of his bad day. The illustrations clearly show Alexander becoming less put together as his bad day continues. Alexander’s behavior is full of humor and impulse and is clearly shown in the black and white images throughout the story. The images in the story are very detailed and closely follow what is happening in the text. Each image adds to the story telling by providing a clear and exact representation of the events taking place. Readers can easily empathize with Alexanders while investigating the images on each page. 

Throughout the book the text is set aside from the illustrations and is very easy to read. This allows the reader to separate the events in the text from the illustrations on the page. The line “It was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day” is written at the end of every “bad” event that takes place. I think this serves as a reminder to the reader that Alexander’s mood does not lighten throughout the story and that these bad events are all he can think about. Kids and adults will be able to relate to Alexander’s bad day. 

By the end of the book both kids and adults alike will feel completely immersed in Alexander’s aggravating, irritating, blusterous bad day.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

• ALA Notable Book Award
• Starred review in KIRKUS REVIEW: “If Alexander’s mother is smart to offer casual sympathy without phony consolation, Cruz and Viorst accord readers the same respect.”
• Starred review in PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY: “Objecting loudly to his family's plans to relocate, the hero of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day "makes a gratifying return"
• Starred review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “Of all the books out there that deal with schadenfreude, none do it quite so well as Alexander.”

CONNECTIONS

• If you want to lead a discussion about how everyone has a bad day sometimes, this is a great book 
• This book can be used to teach cause and effect relationships through relatable events
• Other books for children about bad days:
• Leibheit, Mary Ellen. IT’S A BAD DAY. ISBN 0873589041
• Packard, Mary. THE VERY BAD DAY. ISBN 0516255088