Customer Reviews

What Happens on Wednesdays

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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!)

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.

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.

This is such a simple, quiet, soothing book. The plot is exactly as the title states: what happens on Wednesdays. The author perfectly captures the things that are important to kids (the milk, the cat, the place where she meets her friend, whether or not she and Mommy and Daddy kiss). When we first read this, my daughters were 6 & 3, and they LOVED it. Now, I think my 7yo may be feeling "too old" for it, but my 4yo and I still love it.

My sons are 3 and 4 and are in nursery school, so we go to a lot of birthday parties. What Happens on Wednesdays is a perfect book for this age group - plus the parents love it too! The story of a young child's journey throughout her daily routine is comforting and sweet. It has become my staple gift this year.

Why in the world does the mother get the child up so early in the morning (5:30am?)(I don't wake my young school-age children until at least 7:00am)to sit around and not even cook her breakfast?(the story mom feeds her just a few strawberries?) She wakes up the husband too early also (to babysit the child which she could have left sleeping for another hour)and not cook any breakfast for him either!(I always make sure my children and husband have a nourishing meal before they leave the house.) He must later buy breakfast for himself and the child and sit in the dog park (on a cold morning) to eat it! (and wait there until it's time to drop off the child to school!) (Why can't the mom at least set the table at HOME??) Then in the afternoon, way too much is being done. Try picking up a child from school, having a snack, reading stories in bed, taking a nap, traveling (walking?) to a public pool, time in the pool, time getting dressed, walking to the library, time in the library, walking home, cooking dinner, eating dinner, with time for a bath(Why does the child always want to put her face in the water? The water in bath tubs and public pools is dirty and dangerous! Does she want to drown?... I encourage my children to wash their face in the sink or shower only), reading more stories, and getting to bed early enough so that the child can wake up early again (5:30am Thursday morning?) Another thing which is creepy is the child saying over and over again, "Today is not a kissing day." (WHY NOT?? ANGER towards the parents perhaps?...not getting enough SLEEP?)(My children have never said anything like that! They always love to be hugged and kissed.) It is not until the end of the day, just before she is finally getting to SLEEP, that she decides to kiss the dad. GOOOOD NIGHT!!!