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Saturday, June 25, 2022

Oliver Bounces Back! Written by Alison Hughes and illustrated by Charlene Chua. North Winds Press, Scholastic, 2021. $16.99 ages 4 and up

 


"At recess, Oliver dropped his muffin in 
the dirt, stepped in a puddle, and totally 
soaked his shoe. Then a third-grader 
dropped his ball cap into the mud. 

Oliver just sat there, 
not playing soccer,
not climbing on the 
climbers, not doing 
anything!"

We ALL have them - bad days! In fact, Alexander had a 'terrible, horrible, no good, very bad'  day. I read that wonderful book by Judith Viorst many, many, many times when our kids were young. I still have a copy to share with my granddaughters. 

Oliver knows exactly how Alexander was feeling so long ago, and I am sure he knows the same about the kids and adults are having bad days today. They are inevitable; it's how we handle them that makes all the difference. His day from beginning until recess is filled with some of the things that have happened, at one time or another, to most of us. 

His hairbrush tangles in his hair, his favorite shirt is still in the wash, and his baby sister throws a banana that hits him in the face. What a way to get started on a new day! After the difficulties at home, getting to the bus adds to his frustration. A dropped juice box, a delay on the way to school, and being late only makes things worse. 

Luckily, Oliver has sympathetic people in his life willing to narrate what is going on with him. His mother, father, friend, bus driver, teacher, and classmates willingly share the mishaps and problems. Recess doesn't make things any better. Oliver wants nothing to do with anyone after his ball cap ends up in the mud. Things begin to look up; lunch time brings a big change. His day gets much better when he decides that bouncing back is the way to change his state of mind. His friends join him; the mood is brightened. 

" ... It was a terrible morning. But I finally stopped 
thinking about everything that went wrong.
"

Inviting illustrations and a confident outlook inspire listeners to share their own stories. 

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