What Happens on Wednesdays [Hardcover]

Emily Jenkins (Author), Lauren Castillo (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 5, 2007 | Age Level: 3 and up

A preschooler marks the progress of her day, not by the clock but by what happens after lunch, after nap, after swimming, after the library - and after Daddy comes home. She doesn't map her neighborhood by street signs, either. Her morning walk to see dogs in the park takes her past the cat outside the deli, past her friend Errolyn's building and the daycare where she used to go when she was little, and down the block to the bagel store.
 
The sounds, tastes, smells, and sights of a multiethnic Brooklyn neighborhood, as seen through a child's eyes and captured with enchanting pictures by debut illustrator Lauren Castillo, will encourage children to make their own sensory maps and list the events in their daily schedules.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The voice is pitch perfect."—The New York Times

 

"Finding the transcendent in the ordinary . . . The story's central emotions about familial love and joyful, daily milestones will speak to children everywhere."—Starred, Booklist

 

"A preschooler's ingenuouslength narration of her day is a catalogue of the sweetly ordinary sights and events that make up the lenght and breadth of her reassuringly stable world."—Starred, Kirkus Reviews

 

"Radiant mixed-media art by a debut illustrator captures the warmth and candor in Jenkins's sparkling slice-of-life tale."—Starred, Publishers Weekly

 

“Castillo’s slightly impressionistic mixed-media illustrations give viewers a real feel for the youngster’s Brooklyn neighborhood.”—School Library Journal

 

“It's a valentine to the city and the pleasures of everyday life.” —Bloomberg News

 

"Readers . . . will be glad to be reminded of the joy to be found in everyday routines."—The Christian Science Monitor

 

"A sorting... of a full and busy life in a familiar neighborhood...this offers [kids] a model of how they might map their own days and ways."

—Bulletin for the Center for Children's Books

About the Author

EMILY JENKINS is the author of many acclaimed picture books, including two Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Books, Five Creatures and That New Animal. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

 

LAUREN CASTILLO received her master's degree from the School of Visual Arts in New York City and also lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); 1st edition (July 5, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374383030
• ISBN-13: 978-0374383039
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 10.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #939,449 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I write stories for children and adults. Picture books, middle-grade books, and novels. And a long time ago, personal essays.

I can be reached on the web at www.emilyjenkins.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Urban parents will recognize themselves in this book, July 29, 2007

By 

DJ Joe Sixpack (...in Middle America) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: What Happens on Wednesdays (Hardcover)

An immensely charming book about everyday routines, especially nice for single children and families that live in urban environs... A young girl walks us through her day, starting with a pre-dawn wake-up and storytime with Mom, and a to-school walk with Dad that takes us on a tour of her New York neighborhood. After lunch, Mom picks her up, they go home, have a nap, then go out for a dip at the pool and trip to the library, then back again for dinner, bath and bedtime. Sounds simple, but the richness of detail (both in the text and the marvelous drawings) makes this one a real winner. The young urban family feels familiar and real -- fans of Mo Willems "Knuffle Bunny" will recognize the Brooklyn landscape, and expatriate New Yorkers will yearn for a bite of their bagels. This book perfectly captures the ebb and flow of a preschool-kindergarten student's life, and will ring a bell for many readers, big and small. Recommended! (ReadThatAgain!)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What Happens on Wednesdays, December 4, 2007

By 

Kirsten G. Cutler (Santa Rosa, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What Happens on Wednesdays (Hardcover)

A preschool girl who lives in a city neighborhood charmingly describes her typical Wednesday activities, "What happens on Wednesdays is I wake up when it is still dark out. Mommy comes in wearing her sleeper suit and swings me up and kisses me. I tell her today is not a kissing day." First she gets up with her mom and they visit together while her mom makes the coffee, then she gets the newspaper and cuddles with her dad. Her mom goes off to her home office and she and her dad walk hand in hand to her school. During the walk, she and her dad stop and eat bagels in a dog park. The family activities continue in the afternoon when her mom picks her up from school and takes her to both a swimming pool, and the library, of course. After dinner, she listens to a story, one parent reads to her while the other cleans up. She reminds her daddy, "today is not a kissing day, and then I kiss him and he kisses me, and I kiss him, and he kisses me." The lovely mixed-media artwork conveys texture and movement, and the faces are very expressive. The reader can delight in the multicultural neighborhood and heartwarming family interactions. This is a gem to share with a young child.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Won't Get Tired of It, June 1, 2009

By 

R. Handler - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What Happens on Wednesdays (Hardcover)

A beautiful book, and most importantly, passes the "I can read this 100 nights in a row without throwing myself off a cliff" test. My 2 and 4 year old daughters love this book, and so do I.