My No, No, No Day

PreS-K—From the moment young Bella opens her eyes, the day goes downhill. She chases her baby brother out of her room when she catches him eating her jewelry, has a problem with her breakfast egg, hates her shoes, and won't cooperate in the supermarket or at playgroup. Ballet is "tooo itchy," her peas too hot, her bath too cold, the toothpaste too minty, and, of course, going to bed is out of the question. Only after a story and cuddle does she calm down with Mom's reassurance, "We all have those days sometimes, but perhaps you will be more cheerful tomorrow!" And sure enough, she is. Patterson's watercolor cartoons are hilarious, depicting a crying, tantrum-throwing preschooler who flings her shoes in the air; tries to climb out of the shopping cart; and lies on the sidewalk, leg aloft, to win the sympathy of passersby because her foot hurts. On a page of sequential drawings, Bella is on the floor shouting, "No bed no no...bed" while her body goes through various contortions. All her protestations appear in extra-large black type throughout. And through it all, her mom is ever-patient, though she looks more bedraggled as the day wears on. Tetchy preschoolers are not new to picture books, but any youngster who has experienced similar days will readily relate to Bella and be comforted to know that sunnier days do lie ahead.—Marianne Saccardi, formerly at Norwalk Community College, CT