Julia Cook's Reflection on a Difficult Day: The Worst Day of My Life Ever

Gordon: Message too pedantic and ending formulaic

United States on Jul 08, 2023

tawnya: Great book. I have a few others from the collection. They are very engaging for my second graders. I thought it would be ideal for 1st great but was greatly surprised at how much my 2nd graders enjoyed it

United States on Apr 26, 2023

Chelle Tedrow: I love this book. Get it. Gives kids hope that the worst day ever is really filled with problem solving opportunities…so you might crash, but there is always a way to make some changes…even if you have to ask for help. I got it for grades 2-5 but the concepts are adaptable for older or younger kids.

United States on Apr 18, 2022

Maggie Cant: I shared this book with my SEBN students and it generated some really good discussions.

United Kingdom on Apr 03, 2022

A.C: Students loved it! Thank you.

Canada on Jan 20, 2020

Pebbles: I have many Julia Cook books.

Canada on Jun 22, 2019

Kendra Britt: Fun series for kids

Canada on Apr 13, 2019

debbie: Ideal for work

Canada on Nov 02, 2017

S. Police: I got this book to read to my 6yr old nephew, zach, who has adhd. At first, I didn't like the way it was written, it's not really written in a manner that makes it easy to read to a kid. When trying to get the lesson across as to why RJ was having a bad day, it loses it's childlike mannerism and reads like an adult talking to another adult. I had to do some impromptu dialogue to keep it more simplistic for zach. for that reason, i was going to rate this book with about 2 or 3. but zach did get the point. the character, RJ, was having a bad day simply because he was not listening and paying attention. The book teaches kids that in order to truly listen, they need to look at the person talking to them and respond accordingly when they are done. surprisingly to me, zach did get the point. when i'm speaking to him and his attention is elsewhere, i stop and ask him what he should be doing when i'm talking to him and he responds, 'Looking at you and listening'...and so i rate this 4 stars because the point came across.

United States on Mar 12, 2013

HC: I have several of Julia Cook's books and love reading them with the kids I work with. This book gives great, concrete ideas about listening and following instructions (there's even a little rhyming poem about each!) but it is given in such a way so that kids still enjoy the story! In fact, I have kids who specifically ask to read this book over and over! Given that some books make the kids sigh, roll their eyes, and ask "do we HAVE to?" I count this book's appeal as a HUGE plus!

That said, it is not a be-all, end-all tool for teaching kids these skills -- adults should be reading and discussing these ideas WITH their kids too! With all of these stories, the child and I follow up during and after the story with questions or discussion, such as "What do you think RJ could do differently?" or "How do you think RJ was feeling that morning?" The interaction and discussion is just as important as reading the story and I feel that this story does a super job of opening the door in a fun way for these discussions. The language is also easy enough that many kids can read this themselves, if they wish to.

All in all: HIGHLY recommend!

United States on Sep 26, 2012