Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst

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

Author: Judith Viorst
Illustrator: Ray Cruz

Copyright: 1972, Scholastic INC., New York.
Grade Level: 2 - 4
Genre: Fiction

Summary: This is a book about a young boy named Alexander who wakes up one day with gum in his hair and everything seems to go wrong for him that day. He tells himself that it's going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Everything he does seems to be wrong. He goes from being his best friends best friend, to being only his third best friend. His dentist even finds a cavity in his mouth. The young boy keeps telling himself he will move to Australia.

Pre-Reading Activity:Talk about your morning routine. Make a daily calendar.

Post-Reading Activity:After reading the book, discuss what happened and talk about what Alexander could have done differently in each situation, or how he could have acted.

Reflection:
This is such a fun book. It's silly, and it's exciting to read to children because it makes them laugh. I've read this book numerous times, and I always enjoy it. We all know that there is always going to be an "Alexander" somewhere. I've worked with many children thoughout my life and I can definitely name a few Alexanders I've crossed paths with. It's a fun book, because it makes you want to keep reading and figure out what happens at the end of the book. I didn't really enjoy the pictures because they were very plain, but the overall story is great.

About the Author:
Born and brought up in New Jersey, Judith graduated from Rutgers University. She has lived in Washington D.C. Since 1960, when she married Milton Viorst, a political writer. They have three sons; Anthony, Nick and Alexander. Two of her sons are lawyers and the third does community-development lending for a bank. She writes in many different areas; science, children's picture books, adult fiction, poetry for children and adults ...etc. She also wrote three musicals which are still performed on stages around the country.

There is also a great unit plan for this book by Judith Viorst:
You can find it here -> http://www.franklincollege.edu/pwp/cmahaffey/LitUnit.pdf

About the Author