Where Does Thursday Go? [Hardcover]

Janeen Brian (Author), Stephen Michael King (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Thursday is Bruno’s birthday, and he wishes it didn’t have to end. But Friday is coming, and he knows his special day will be gone in the morning. What will happen to Thursday during the night? Where will it go? And can Bruno and his friend Bert find it in time to say goodbye?
This touching, whimsical tale will strike a chord with anyone who wonders about things, and with anyone who has wished that a special day would last forever.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

After celebrating his birthday, Bruno, a little white bear with a big black nose, wonders what happens to the day after it's done. Accompanied by his friend Bert, a tiny penguin in aviator garb, Bruno journeys through a series of starry blue watercolors, looking for a Thursday he can say goodbye to. "First they came to a bridge. A gentle river gurgled beneath. `Oogle, gurgle, Oogle, gurgle,' it said. `Is that you, Thursday?' Bruno called out.... But there was no reply." Brian (Pilawuk) does not definitively resolve Bruno's question, but Bruno and Bert associate the departing birthday with the full moon (which hangs "like a silver balloon"), to which the two creatures wave an energetic goodbye before it slips behind a cloud. King (A Special Kind of Love) presents a cozy vision of night, his outdoor scenes spangled with glowing lanterns and bright windows. Children on the younger end of the target audience may enjoy this gentle tale; others may find that Brian's whimsy crosses the border into coy. Ages 4-7.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

reschool-Kindergarten--Bruno the bear had such a wonderful time at his birthday party that he is sad to see the day end. He and his bird friend Bert go looking for it "to say goodbye to it before it goes." They hear several nighttime sounds (a babbling river, a train whistle), which they mistake for signs of Thursday's departure. After imagining that it must be big and round like a birthday cake, bright like candles, and make them happy like balloons, they look up to see the luminous full moon above. Though the gentle tone and naive characters are reminiscent of Frank Asch's "Moonbear" books (S & S), this sweet story has a unique charm of its own. King's ink-and-watercolor illustrations depict a bright, starry, safe-feeling night, populated with animal characters made real by the simplest brushstroke depicting the set of a mouth or the movement of a paw. A perfect bedtime story.
Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Maryland School for the Deaf, Columbia
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Clarion Books (March 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618212647
• ISBN-13: 978-0618212644
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 9.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #443,394 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Goodbye Thursday, Goodbye....., July 16, 2002

By 

Roz Levine - See all my reviews

This review is from: Where Does Thursday Go? (Hardcover)

It was Thursday, Bruno the bear's birthday, and he had such a wonderful and fun time that he wished it didn't have to end. "He knew his birthday would be gone in the morning. So, wondered Bruno, what happened to it during the night? Where did it go?" Bruno just had to find out, and so along with his duck friend Bert embarks on a middle of the night odyssey to find Thursday and say goodbye. "First they came to a bridge. A gentle river gurgled beneath. "Oogle, gurgle. Oogle gurgle," it said. "Is that you, Thursday?" Bruno called out. "We've come to say goodbye." But there was no reply." Then on to the park, the lake, up the big hill to the train tracks, and even the seashore. Each time they called out their goodbye to Thursday. And each time there was no reply. Sad and defeated they head back home, and Bruno tells Bert what his Thursday would look like if he could find it ...round like his birthday cake, bright like his candles, and happy like his balloons. Just then, Bruno and Bert look up and see the big, glowing moon. "Just like Thursday..." Janeen Brian's simple, whimsical, and engaging story begs to be read aloud and shared, and is complemented by Stephen Michael King's expressive watercolor artwork that sparkles with lovely nightime detail. Together word and art create a magical, gentle, and soothing bedtime story. Perfect for preschoolers Where Does Thursday Go? is a sweet little treasure that's soon to become a special favorite at your house.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Splodge and Humbug!!, July 27, 2005

By 

Lin "childrens' book addict from downunder" (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Where Does Thursday Go? (Hardcover)

This is a fabulous book and I agree with all the other reviewers. An interesting point though is that in Australia the characters in this book are Splodge and Humbug, not Bernie and Bruno! Personally I think they look more like Splodge and Humbug. Either way, a VERY cute book. It was an honour book in the Australian Children's Book Council Awards.

4.0 out of 5 stars Quite nice, this., April 18, 2011

By 

Robert P. Beveridge "xterminal" (Lakewood, OH) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Where Does Thursday Go? (Paperback)

Janeen Brian, Where Does Thursday Go? (Clarion, 2001)

Lovely little book about two friends positing the question in the title (one's birthday), and then setting off during the night to try and get an answer to it. While I'm sure there's some sort of overarching lesson to be had here, because one can't publish a kid's book these days that doesn't contain same, I was too busy having fun following the adventures of the bear and the penguin to think too much about it, which is a wonderful thing in kidlit--not only for the kid in question, but for the parent who may be asked to read it over and over. This one is quite good, and will stand up to those repeated readings; worth grabbing a copy for the kidlit bookcase in your house. *** 1/2