Just a Bad Day

Little Critter

by Gina Mayer, Mercer Mayer

It's a rainy day and things keep going wrong but Little Critter finds out that even the worst day can always change for the better.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction

24 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. For the German author of novels, youth books and children's books, see Gina Mayer

Reviews

[Bronwyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book for our own bad days, or pretend ones (my son likes when my husband inserts things we do into the book instead of reading the words).

[Cara Byrne · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Today was just a bad day. But at least it had a happy ending." With rain, canceled sports, fighting with his sister, and broken toys, it's a bad day for little critter. All fixed when his dad comes home from work with a toy for him.

[Rachel Toler · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book Just a Bad Day by Gina and Mercer Mayer is a great book! This book is part of the little critter collection, which has a lot of other great books as well! Each book tells a story about the little boy critter, his sister, and their mom and dad. This particular story is about the brother’s bad day. It starts off raining and just gets worse and worse from there, until the very end when he realizes just because part of the day was bad, doesn’t mean his whole day was ruined. I read this book when I was little and loved it, and I still like it because it’s relatable to everyone. We all have bad days and his book reminds us to look on the brighter side of things. This book is also fun to read because on each page it has a cat and a mouse hidden somewhere on the page, so it’s fun to try to find where they are!
As a reader these books are fun, but they are also great to teach with! This book, as the others do, teach a lesson. This one teaches about having a bad. This would be a great way to teach younger students how to deal with their bad days, and show them that it always gets better. It is also a great book to teach retelling a story and sequence of events with. After the book is read you can have students recall some of the bad things that happened and then try to put them in order from when they happened. All around this books is great, whether you are just reading it for enjoyment or for teaching!

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy Little Critter books, the pictures and storylines are usually entertaining, but after a few times of reading this one, my four year old dramatically started crying out “I knew it was going to be a bad day” every time he didn’t get his way. It was comical at first, but the whiny, complaining, pity party attitude got old quickly. I wondered where he got that idea to begin with, and then we reread this book and my four year old said “I say that a lot”. It was a good reminder that the behavior we normalize in books is often adopted by our kids. If you do read this one, it would be a good idea to address the bad attitude afterwards and how Little Critter could’ve chosen a better attitude instead of giving in to his emotions.

[Irish Blue Eyes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little Critter awakens to the sound of rain, foreseeing a challenging day ahead. His mood deteriorates further upon discovering that his favorite cereal is missing, forcing him to settle for oatmeal instead. He is compelled to wear a shirt he dislikes, the television is filled with reruns of cartoons, his paints have dried up, and a new truck is accidentally damaged by Dad. Engaging in play with his sister results in spilled cards, loud games, and broken crayons, culminating in Mom's frustration directed at both of them. Even after the rain ceases, the mud keeps him indoors, leading to the cancellation of his baseball game. However, Dad surprises him by bringing home a brand new truck to replace the old one, and his sister receives a surprise as well, ultimately transforming the day for Little Critter. This narrative encapsulates the typical frustrations of childhood, such as broken toys, conflicts with siblings, and the gloominess of rainy days, all presented in a humorous and relatable manner. It illustrates how minor irritations can accumulate, rendering a day feel overwhelmingly negative, yet it also highlights the rapidity with which circumstances can improve. The central theme revolves around the notion of perspective, emphasizing that a single positive event, like receiving a new truck, can redeem an otherwise dismal day. Parents are portrayed as empathetic figures who address issues such as replacing the truck, acknowledging children's emotions while imparting lessons in resilience. As a cherished installment of the Little Critter series, this book offers simple yet engaging narratives for young children aged 2-5, focusing on everyday experiences and emotional development.

[Margaux · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute kids picture book, focused on the main character of Little Critter and his sister. The art is lovely, and children will identify and engage with the idea and feeling of having a bad day, and how everything seems to go wrong on certain days. But those days are only 24 hours, same as all the others. Would be a great addition to any kid’s library, classroom, or school library.

[Angela Mose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this 💏💏💏💏

[Kristen Dutkiewicz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing goes right on this rainy day!

[Leah NYC · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Little Critter books, but this one was just ok in comparison to some of the others.

[Little Seesaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really adore these books. I love the way they written. You can just hear the voice of a little 9 year old boy. I always enjoyed reading these books to my kids.

[Cdupree2 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it because whenever there was something good there was always something wrong.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little Critter has a bad day.

Readers of all ages can relate to having a day in which nothing seems to go their way.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the art in these. Got hit by a wave of nostalgia when I saw this in the library.
Just a Bad Day is one of my favorite Little Critter stories.

[Kyle Hough · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminds me of Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day, but for younger kids

[Alia Near · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good book because it shows that everyone has bad days and even if you are having a bad day things can always turn around. It's also good to remember that there is a new day ahead.

[Mia Kelzer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The little critter books are perfect for Kindergartners or first graders! In the classroom, I would read aloud and then do a re-telling (having the class help me).

[Jessie Killian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these books! This specific book is very relatable and an easy read!

[Deanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dad says two stars…he’s not sure why you’d read this story to a kid lol I think the critters are just nostalgia for me and my childhood.

[Patricia Bleile · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story about a little critter that had a few unfavorable events occur on the same day. Anything that could have gone wrong went wrong for him. The illustrations throughout the book were great.

[Melanie Bates · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just A Bad Day

Summary: This is a story about a little critter that had a few unfavorable events occur on the same day. Anything that could have gone wrong went wrong for him. The illustrations throughout the book were great. They were colorful and expressed the characters emotions.

Response: What I loved about this book was the message behind it. Although one may have a bad day something can always come along and turn it around. In this case the character’s dad coming home and surprising him with a new toy is what made his day that much better. Even though one may be having bad day there’s always someone out there who has it worse and is less fortunate.

Classroom Connections: A classroom connection that would correlate with this book would be to have students write a journal entry of their “worst day ever”. Students can then think of what made them feel better. Students can then communicate between one another and think of others that may not be as fortunate as they are and how their worst day ever may differ.

CCSS: I could not find most of the levels for this book. I would think that students Pre-K through second would be interested in this book. I also think that second graders would be able to independently read this book.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a cute picture book that explains characters having bad stuff happen to them that makes them have a bad day. While reading some of the things that happened were silly. I thought it was a good book to get students talking about why they have bad days and when and how to notice someone else's bad day. I enjoyed this book and will give it four stars. It had nice illustration.

[Nydia Munoz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book teaches children to see the good in everything. The book teaches children to be positive and see the good in all the situations.



Learning Extension: The children can pretend that it is a rainy day and they can act out hat they would do at home.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

a cute story with a cute idea, using the stories of his daily life to teach children.

[Laura Carby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book because occasionally we all have a bad day. You are the only person who can get out of the bad mood. You have to focus on the positives!

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is great for children especially when they learn to start reading. It teaches great morals and ideals for everyone to have and great general life lessons.

[Tori · Rating 3 out of 5]

PB 20: This book is very relate able because everyone has bad days. Once again, I love Mayer's illustrations. Very cute book for kids and would probably make a good read-aloud for a rainy day.

[Brandi Streeval · Rating 5 out of 5]

cute book read this to my daughter got this from the library.

[Sheila Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

everybody has a bunch of bad days this book will help a kid deal with all the bad days

[Alice Teets · Rating 2 out of 5]

Second graders did not like very much.

[K Morlando · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read!