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Bibliography
Viorst, Judith. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Illustrated by Ray Cruz. New York, NY: Aladdin Books. ISBN 9780689711732
Plot summary
Alexander wakes with gum in his hair and the rest of his day goes downhill from there. Alexander’s numerous, minor “horrible” experiences reinforce his perception of the total “terribleness” of the whole day.
Critical Analysis
From page one when he wakes with gum in his hair, Judith Viorst’s Alexander drips with realistic grouchiness of a young boy who woke up on the wrong side of the bed. While his frustration at the snowballing minor irritations of his day do not climax in a melt-down scene or tearful remorse over his disproportionate moodiness, the plot moves steadily from breakfast to bedtime, home to school and back again, with humorous “I hate (fill in the blank)” repetitions and allusions of moving to Australia. Alexander’s unintentional dead-pan humor (“At school Mrs. Dickens liked Paul’s picture of the sailboat better than my picture of the invisible castle.”) reinforce the light-toned melodrama of the “terrible” things…no dessert, dentist visit, unsympathetic siblings, shoe-shopping, lima beans, and railroad-train pajamas.
Ray Cruz’s black and white crosshatched sketching style stands out in stark contrast against the all-white page giving a feeling of strong emotions. Cruz utilizes a variety of crosshatch patterns, lines, and dots to give texture and depth which also adds to a sense complicated emotional turmoil. Realistic facial expressions, body language, and hair in disarray set Alexander apart from the unruffled smoothness of the other characters.
People of all ages identify with Alexander. Everyone has bad days that sound kind of silly when you try to explain the “awfulness” to someone else. Children readily connect with Alexander’s many rotten moments and adults draw their own real-life grown-up connections. The book’s lack of a moralistic resolution is one of its most refreshing qualities. Some days are just terrible so you go to bed and start over tomorrow.
Reviews and Honors
· Kirkus Review “…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.”
· Book Links (ALA) 07/01/06
· Booklist, Library Journal, School Library Journal
Connections
· Discuss ways that days can be yucky.
· Let students choose and illustrate one of Alexander’s “horrible” moments.
· Allow students to rehearse in groups scenes from Alexander’s day, and then re-read the book with each group melodramatically acting out their scene.
Read other books about yucky, disaster days or misbehaving boys:
· All the other Alexander adventures by Judith Viorst
· Corey, Shana. Horus’s Horrible Day. ISBN 9780439262200
· Ahlberg, Allan. A Bit More Bert. ISBN 9780374324896
· Henkes, Kevin. Chrysanthemum. ISBN 9780688096991
· Macdonald, Amy. Quentin Fenton Herter Three. ISBN 9780374361709
· Polacco, Patricia. My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother. ISBN 9780671727512
