A Day Off School

by Oliver Jeffers, Unknown Author

A hilarious story full of action and adventure from two highly regarded, award-winning picture-book creators.

When Herbie has the sniffles, he has to take the day off school. But Herbie doesn't mind – he is excited about all the things he can do at home, like building a fort, playing Space Blasters and racing his cars! But by lunchtime, Herbie has grown tired of keeping himself busy, and he starts to wonder what might be happening at school… What if there is a dog on the loose? What if pirates have invaded? Is Herbie missing out on all the action?

Genres: Picture Books, School, Childrens, Humor, Illness, Juvenile, Fiction

Hardcover

About the author

Oliver Jeffers' work takes many forms. His distinctive paintings have been exhibited in galleries worldwide, and HarperCollins UK and Penguin USA publish his award-winning picture books, now translated into over 30 languages.

In 2007, Jeffers was the official illustrator for World Book Day, and in 2008 Lost and Found became Oliver's first book to made into animation by London-based Studio AKA.

Jeffers won a NY Emmy in 2010 for his collaborative work with the artist and director Mac Premo, and in 2013 Jeffers co-directed the video for U2's Ordinary Love with Premo. Originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland, Jeffers now lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

Reviews

[Lucy Lightning]

It is true, when you are off school a dragon or alien will show up at your school.

[Rebecca Lowe]

Cute humor.

[Shanna]

FOMO in picture book form.

Herbie is staying home from school because he has a cold. Herbie’s sister, Daisy, is going to school though. He doesn’t mind because he gets to stay home and do all the things he likes—play video games, watch TV and race cars on the floor. But soon, Herbie is bored. He wonders what is happening at school! What if a dog came to school? What if aliens came down to Earth and gave kids a tour of their spaceship? What if dinosaurs came to school? When his sister gets home, he’s pretty sure she’s not telling the truth about what happened at school. Maybe he’ll go back tomorrow.

A funny book for all those who have a fear of missing out.

Mia’s 3rd Year of Books: Day 182

[Richie Partington]

Richie’s Picks: A DAY OFF SCHOOL by Oliver Jeffers and Kevin Waldron, ill,, Penguin Random House/Philomel, July 2026, 40p., ISBN: 978-8-217-03999-9

“Well, we got no class
And we got no principals (ooh)
And we got no intelligence
We can't even think of a word that rhymes, well”
– Alice Cooper, “School’s Out” (1972)

According to vocabulary.com, “As a word, madcap describes an eccentric, rash, or wildly impulsive person or behavior.”

I can’t recall having ever before written or otherwise employed the word “madcap.” Nevertheless, it is the first one that came to mind, as I imagined myself reading this one aloud to a circle of 3s and 4s and arriving at the end where–back in school after his memorable day off–Herbie is once again bemoaning how boring school is. Meanwhile, behind and unbeknownst to him, we see pterodactyls soaring in the distance and–after a final page-turn–encounter a riotous and colorful dinosaur menagerie stampeding toward his school in overdrive.

I get the sneaking suspicion that it woulda been awfully fun sitting next to Oliver Jeffers in school.

“Herbie had the sniffles.
His parents said he could stay home from school today.
Secretly, he was really excited. A whole day off school! ALL TO HIMSELF!!”

A DAY OFF SCHOOL is a laugh-out-loud tale detailing Herbie contemplating and then acting upon all the freedom that a day off school (home alone) entails and permits.

But once his impulses begin wearing thin, Herbie begins to obsess over what he might be missing at school…(uh-oh!)

“Maybe it was someone’s birthday and there was cake for everyone!
Or…
Maybe the firework factory came in to demonstrate some new experiments!!”

Yeah. I’ll stick with “madcap.” A DAY OFF SCHOOL is a serious hoot and an A+ lesson about being careful about what one wishes for.”

Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com

[Rosemary Standeven]

As a child I hated missing school. I didn’t have as vivid an imagination as Herbie, but I was always sure that the day I didn’t go, would be the day that something special would happen. Also, as my mother was a nurse, it was impossible to fake illness, so for a missed day, one had to be very sick indeed.
Personally, I think Herbie was faking it. If he had been really ill, he would not have managed to do all the activities he did, before sneaking back to bed. And I am sure his father would have noticed all the toys etc out. Or was Herbie that unusual kid who made no noise AND tidied up after himself without being asked.
Anyway, Herbie has the sniffles and his (duped) parents let him stay home from school. He has a great time doing everything he wants to do – at home, alone. Wheeee!
Then, he starts to wonder what is happening at school in his absence: birthday cake, fireworks, pirates, a monster, aliens, … His imagination goes wild.
Needless to say, the next day he is ‘well enough’ to go to school, to see what he’d missed.
A really lovely book, with wonderful bright pictures. Keep a look out for the ginger cat keeping Herbie company at home.
Highly recommended.

NB: my pre-ordered, signed copy arrived a week early from Waterstones

[Jeremy]

A fun story about a kid who is initially excited to stay home sick from school, but then is consumed by FOMO. This was pretty cute, and illustrator Kevin Waldron has a really nice style.

I was surprised to encounter an Oliver Jeffers picture book NOT illustrated by Oliver Jeffers (however, he clearly was in charge of the text and font), but I thought he did a good job as a pure author. Also I was happy to see that "A Day off School" speaks to children! As much as I sympathize with the political/philosophical views Jeffers inserts into his work sometimes, I don't think he was going about it the right way. His books were coming across as a bit joyless and preachy--and he wasn't speaking to children anymore.

Anyway a strong 3 stars for me. 3.4/5.

[Pam]

Readers will connect with this child who stays home from school and then enjoys so many activities. However, before half the day is done, he begins to wonder what he is missing. He imagines all sorts of scenarios happening without him. Jeffers text blends with Waldron's artwork to capture readers. The humor shines through. I appreciate the hints that adventures will continue to happen when Herbie comes back. An amusing read for classes, library time or families. Definitely offers opportunities for dialogue.

[Klee]

What a delight!

Herbie isn't feeling too good, but the good news is he gets a day off school. By lunchtime, though, he can't help but wonder... what is he missing out on back at school?

This is a wonderfully playful tale that captures the curiosity and imagination of childhood perfectly. Paired with gorgeous illustrations (gorgeous!), it's a joy to read aloud and is sure to get plenty of giggles from young readers (and the grown-ups reading with them!).

[Steph]

This has that quintessential Oliver Jeffers charm. A gorgeous story about a young lad who has the day of school, but worries he’s missing out on so much that could be happening at school! The illustration style is really unique. This would be a real fun one to read aloud to kids and then do a bit of writing about a wild day at school!

[Melanie Hetrick]

Herbie is often board at school so he decides to play sick one day. He does all of the things that he really wants to do and realizes that it's not even lunchtime yet. He begins to wonder if anything exciting is happening at school. Like a space landing? Or invading dinos? He decides he wants to back the next day. And he's bored again.

[Claudia]

This was fun...though I must say, I NEVER had FOMO when staying home from school. I relished the opportunity to take naps at will and watch TV on the couch during the day (I didn't even have cable growing up, but it was still exciting to watch daytime television!) But it was funny to see all that the boy *imagined* was happening, only to go back and find out that, nope, school was just that.

[Clarissa]

Herbie stays home from school with the sniffles, and imagines all the amazing things he might be missing. What if space aliens land or pirates, etc. When Herbie returns to school the next day everything is really boring, or is it...

The art is wonderful at conveying the wildly exciting colorful things that might happen or the gray dreariness of boredom and regular life.

[Ellon]

2 stars (it was okay)

I really like the concept of this book. A kid who is home from school ends up wanting to go back when he imagines all the cool things that could be happening while he is gone. But I didn't like the execution. I didn't like Jeffers's art style in this book. His messy handwriting text also annoyed me here (not the first time).

[Ann Haefele]

Harbor has a cold and is excited to get to stay home, until he begins to wonder what he might be missing out on at school. The more he wonders , the more his imagination works overtime. Children will all relate to this story.

[Colorado Buck]

amazing pictures, interesting take on a kid who fakes being sick to stay home then gets bored being at home and wishes he were back at school. it does seem to make school seem boring though, in comparison with his own imagination.

[Krista]

Didn’t like the clear, loud message that school is boring!
Also, a good percentage of the child’s home
activities were on a screen. 🥹 This book is problematic.
Although I’m sure this was intended to be humorous, I just didn’t find it worthwhile.

[🌶 peppersocks 🧦]

Reflections and lessons learned/the content of this book made me feel…

…that an occasional day in the house recuperating from something simple can be such a gift - especially when it’s from school!

[Rachel]

Older Kid ST.
A boy fakes sick so he can stay home and have fun. But then starts to wonder what fun things are happening at school instead. I liked the watercolor images and kids will relate to the story.

[Alison]

I liked that this showed that you're not always getting the better end of the deal by not going to school. A cute way to address FOMO in young kids. I was curious as to why Oliver Jeffers didn't illustrate it himself, but I did like the illustrations.

[Shireen Hakim]

This would have been better if he actually had a cool adventure while he was off from school, like Ferris Bueller's Day Off. But I guess they didn't want to encourage kids to skip school. The book started off fun but then it got nerdy.

[Kathleen]

I read about this book from a bookstore's new book releases. I loved the title, illustrations, narrative until the end - last page. mmmmmh. Like another amazon reviewer, the last page cancelled the previous pages! I borrowed it from the library. Glad I read it before buying it as a gift!

[Dawn Foster]

Another winning title from Oliver Jeffers!!! Imagine getting to stay home from school because *cough, cough, you did feel good. Then imagine that you spend that day wondering what you might be missing!! In typical Jeffers fashion, the story is captivating, funny, and full of "what ifs!"

[Alicia]

Ah, it's better to go to school that play sick because after a while at home by yourself you get bored and wonder what cool things you might be missing there.

It's a fun romp and reminder kids about FOMO.

[Sasa]

i know it's a children's book and this applies to all of them but kevin waldron's art heavily carries this book. i absolutely love the illustrations paired with the child-like handwriting. it's so beautiful!

[Anthony]

Herbie has a case of the sniffles, and gets to stay from school. Herbie secretly enjoys the idea of missing a day of school. As the day lingers and Herbie runs out of things to do at home, he starts to long for being back at school. Be careful what you wish for.

[Amanda]

Read this to Mister last night. While it was a fun little story, I think we both missed Jeffers' illustrations. It didn't have the same flair. We also missed Jeffers' bio and picture at the end that we always enjoy.

[Patricia Q]

We've all been there.

[Diana]

What goes through the mind of a kid who has to miss school
because of being sick and thinks he is missing out on the greatest adventure ever?
I loved how the end is open to interpretation!

[Holly Wagner]

Harbor finds out what it’s like to miss a day of school. And guess what? He misses school! Talk about FOMO! Poor guy. Adorable. Great for an elementary school library.

[Kelly]

Kid relatable whimsy, and beautiful illustrations, of course