Written by Judith Viorst, Illustrated by Ray Cruz
Originally published June 1, 1972 (Atheneum)
"I went to sleep with gum in my mouth and now there's gum in my hair and when I got out of bed this morning I tripped on the skateboard and by mistake I dropped my sweater in the sink while the water was running and I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day."
So begin the trials and tribulations of our friend Alexander. Everyone has terrible, horrible days, and Alexander offers us the cranky commiseration we crave as well as a reminder that things may not be all that bad. As Alexander's day progresses, he faces a barrage of bummers worthy of a country-western song. He resolves several times to move to Australia.
Parents: Alexander is the perfect story to read to your child when he is having "just one of those days." Every child knows how it feels when nothing seems to go right, and leaving the country sounds like a pretty good option. Your child will sympathize with Alexander, and you will have a ball putting yourself in the shoes of a frustrated 5-year-old. Enjoy!
Teachers: We have "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days" just as often as our students do, and these are the days to pull out Alexander and reassure kids that their feelings are valid, normal, and justified. It is a great way to show students how to find outlets for their frustration, aside from getting angry. Great for choral/group reading, students will delight at repeating Alexander's "terrible, horrible" motto!
Alexander is one of my all-time favorite read alouds. The pictures are wonderfully detailed, it is full of subtle humor, and I love reading it with expression to put myself in Alexander's place.
Written by Arlene Mosel,
Illustrated by Blair Lent
Originally published March 15, 1968 (Henry Holt & Co.)
Arlene Mosel retells an old Chinese folktale about how the people of China came to give their children short names after traditionally giving their "first and honored" sons grand, long names. Tikki tikki tembo (which means "the most wonderful thing in the whole wide world") and his brother Chang (which means "little or nothing") get into trouble with a well, are saved by the Old Man with the Ladder, and change history while they're at it. Help is slow in coming, since the boy's long and difficult name must be pronounced in full. Beautifully expressive drawings enhance the book's feel for traditional Chinese culture.
Parents: This is a great book to introduce to your children when they are beginning to show interest in independent reading, but haven't quite mastered their phonics skills yet. Children will quickly learn to recite Tikki Tembo's name and will express such pride that they can "read" a part of the book!
Teachers: Students love chiming in on this book, making it a great class read aloud, and it is also a great tool to introduce a unit about China, folktales, or the origin of names. It can open up discussion about what our names mean, and how everyone has different types of names. The amazing illustrations also lend themselves to art projects like paper kites or Chinese straw hats.
I was introduced to this book while working as a preschool teacher, and it instantly became a classroom favorite. Tikki Tembo's wonderfully rhythmic name lends itself to memorization and recitation by children as young as 2 and 3, and we always had a great time creating character voices and watching the children join in the chorus of the name.
