Rating: 
Summary: So go to Australia already ...
Review: I am almost afraid to review this book, knowing it will anger those people who enjoyed it. However ...Everyone has bad days, some people more than others. The experiences related in this book hardly amount to a really bad day; and Alexander's response is always - "I think I'll move to Australia". It is one day out of this boy's life, and he makes that big a deal out of it. Likely he won't remember the incidents of that particular day a week afterwards. My problem with the book is that it is one whining incident after another. Who wants to read that to their children? Perhaps the children will laugh, maybe sympathize, maybe even relate this story to a particular incident in their life they did not enjoy. Another problem is that Alexander thinks all his problems could be solved if he could only move to Australia. In other words, he does not want to confront his problems and work them out. Is that what we want to teach kids? Perhaps this book could serve a purpose to children after-all - to show how not to react to problems and difficulties in their own lives. I wanted something more from this story. I wanted Alexander to realize how silly we was acting and laugh at himself. I wanted him see others having a bad day, more so than him. That would have added more depth to the story, I believe. Instead, this book, rather than being a "winner", is a "whiner".
Rating: 
Summary: Poor Alexander!
Review: I rated this book on behalf of my children who think this book is hilarious. My 5 year old son and 3 year old daughter both get a kick out of the rotten luck Alexander has on this particular day. After hearing this book, my kids decided that their bad days aren't so bad afterall. - I am not sure I like some of Alexander's reactions to his problems, and I don't really want my children acting like him. However, this was a great way in which to start a discussion about his type of behavior (i.e. telling a friend that he hopes the friend sits on a tack). It was a good way to initiate the "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all" talk. Overall, the book was a lot of fun and was enjoyable for all of us.
Rating:
Summary: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day
Review: "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" is a wonderful book with great illustrations. Everyone can relate to and enjoy this story. "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" will interest all children. It is about a day where nothing goes right. Alexander has the day that all children have one in awhile. This story helps children see feelings expressed that they might be just experiencing and may not know how to express them. They can see that these feeling are normal and there is nothing wrong with feeling these ways. Alexander experiences rejection when his friend says he "wasn't his best friend anymore." At lunch Alexander becomes jealous when his friend "got a Hershey bar with almonds" and another friend got a "piece of jelly role" and Alexander's mother forgot to pack desert in his lunch. The language and style are just right for children reading this book. The language is neither to hard or simple. It is not too wordy so children are able to keep up with the story. The language is not too advanced. Children can comprehend what is being said. The language and style are not too simple. Children will not lose interest in the story as they read or hear this book. The illustrations are black and white. Everything is shaded in with straight lines. This creates the dark and bad mood Alexander is experiencing. There are parts of the story that would not be as effective with out the illustrations. When Alexander is in his father's office he creates a mess. He spills things and knocks papers everywhere. The illustration depicts an angry father whose desk is a disaster. The illustrations show a disheveled haired boy with a grimace on his face. With out the illustrations the mood of the boy and scenes around him would not come alive or be expressed as well as they were. "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" is a great book for every child to read. The story is one that helps children learn about emotions. The children can relate to and understand the wonderful illustrations. As a future teacher I would read this to my students.
Rating:
Summary: "Just one of those books."
Review: This is one of those books you read a million times as a kid, and then chance upon as an adult and still get every bit as much enjoyment out of. Or, depending on what kind of job you work these days, more. Just saying the title brings up memories of sitting in my bedroom with my brothers, a pile of children's books in front of us, going through and reading each and every one. Somehow, there were a few that managed to always get pulled out first. This book is one of those, and still should be.
Rating:
Summary: One of my most favorite books of all time!
Review: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day is definitely one of my most favorite books of all time! Not only is it funny, but it even has a great point: everyone has bad days. This is a book that every child should read! In stressful world where some days are better than others, you may want to consider giving this book to a friend or colleague who can always refer to it to cheer them up when they're having one of those terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days!
Rating:
Summary: Textual and Illustrative Elements in Alexander
Review: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, by Judith Viorst, uses very specific textual and illustrative elements to convey the idea of the story coming from the mind of an unhappy child. The title clues the reader in to Alexander's disposition, starting with the illustrations on page one. On the first page, Alexander appears with tousled hair, crossed arms, a wide stance, and a scowl. Alexander appears very disgruntled. The details in Alexander's room also allow the reader to infer that Alexander is having a hectic day. Two of the drawers in Alexander's room are slightly open and have clothes haphazardly dangling out of them. The lampshade is titled at an obscure angle. The skateboard is upside down on the floor. The bedcovers are messy as well. The illustrator also uses very busy patterns on Alexander's pajamas, the bedspread, and the bathroom floor to further enhance the chaos in Alexander's room. On page two, Alexander's body language continues to support his bad mood. His shoulders are slouched, and his head is lowered. Alexander is now in clothes that have the same criss-cross design that his pajamas did. A few pages into the book, when Alexander mentions moving to Australia, the illustrator put Alexander against a blank white background to parallel Alexander's feelings of loneliness. Later on, Alexander has just had a horrible day at school and is feeling isolated. The illustrator uses the same technique of a white background to isolate Alexander even further. Towards the end of the book, the dentist has just told Alexander that he has a cavity. His two brothers, on the other hand, do not have any. The illustrator draws Alexander as the shortest brother, with slouching shoulders and a frown, while everyone else looks pleased. The drill is in the background and ominously foreshadows the filling of Alexander's cavity. On page fourteen, Alexander is standing on one foot because the elevator door closed on the foot he is holding. He is visually unstable, and the day he is having connects with his instability in the illustrations. The illustrator also makes the decision to draw in all black and white. This choice helps to keep the reader focused on the busyness of Alexander's life instead of being distracted by colors. The patterns and lack of black provide ample elements for the reader to analyze. The author does a wonderful job of creating text that sounds like the words of a child. The language is very simple and quick, and sentence after sentence is connected by "and" because children so very often say many things at one time before breathing. Of all the places in the world, the author decides that Alexander wants to move to Australia. Australia is a good choice because most children have at least heard of Australia and know that the country is very far away. By picking a foreign country, the author is verbally paralleling Alexander's emotional isolation. The phrase "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day" also sounds exactly like something a child would whine. The phrase has a singsong quality, just like that of a child throwing a temper tantrum. The article "Gender differences in emotional language in children's picture books," by Tepper and Cassidy, discusses gender stereotyping in children's literature. This research supports the conclusion that female characters are grossly outnumbered by male central characters and that females are often shown acting very passively in direct contrast to their male character counterparts. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day is a perfect example of female characters not being well-represented in children's picture books. Not only is the main character a male, but his two siblings are also male. This fact is curious considering the author, Judith Viorst, is female. Overall, the illustrations and text help to convey the story from the mind of an unhappy male child and continue to delight and enthrall younger children that seem to relate well to Alexander's unfortunate day. Viorst, Judith. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. New York: Scholastic Inc., 1972. Tepper, Clary A., and Kimberly Wright Cassidy. "Gender Differences in Emotional Language in Children's Picture Books." Sex Roles: A Journal of Research 40 (1999): 265-278.
Rating:
Summary: Alexander's Terrible Day Is The Best Book
Review: Title: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Author: Judith Viorst Grade Range: It is an appropriate book for grades 1-4, ages 5- 9. Main Idea: The main idea of this book is to teach the reader that everyone has a bad day once in a while. How this could be used in class: This book could be used to introduce a unit on Australia, being that Alexander wants to go there because he thinks that nothing could go wrong there. This could be used to introduce a lesson on run on sentences, because this entire book uses run on sentences. Lastly, it could be used to simply let students write and draw about good and bad days that they have experienced. This book is a wonderful educational tool for everyone who reads it.
Rating: 
Summary: Brings Back Memories
Review: People of all ages can relate to Alexander's Terrible, Horrible, No Good and Very Bad Day. I have said on days like that if "today was a toilet, I'd flush today away." The only thing I didn't like was Alexander's constant references to Australia. Even when I was a little girl, I got "Australiaed out." Alexander's obsession with the Australian continent got old fast. That one peeve notwithstanding, it was a book readers of all ages can identify with. And the sun will come out tomorrow,
Rating:
Summary: It got me through (my kids') childhood
Review: It was both of my children's favorite book, and also my favorite to read to them, 25 years ago, or so. My only regret is that my favorite line, one I still say, wasn't in the edition I read in a book store two or three years ago. Old timers will remember that at snack time, the "cookies were the plain kind." For my kids, that was Bad Stuff!
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Summary: Has to be written by a real parent with real children!
Review: I bought and read this book looooong before I had any children. When I first read the book I thought that it was a cute story with many quotable lines. It wasn't until recently though, now that my children are ages 1-9 that I realized that this is probably NOT fiction, but a true-to-life account of life with children. The string of events, from waking up to gum in his hair to everything else that happens is funny. Why is it funny? Because it's all too TRUE! Great story, great illustrations. Viorst at the top of her form! A definite keeper -- 5+ stars!
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