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On a Magical Do-Nothing Day: An Illustrated Picture Book About Unplugging and Discovering Wonder for Kids
Give the gift of a magical do-nothing day!
This picture book with startlingly beautiful words and pictures will spur imagination and a break from boredom or screen time. Now a New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year!
All I want to do on a rainy day like today is play my game. My mom says it’s a waste of time, but without my game, nothing is fun! On the other hand, maybe I’m wrong about that…
While reading On a Magical Do-Nothing Day, one gets the sense that the illustrator became lost in her drawings, and as a reader, you'll want to do the same. Perfect for fans of picture books by Julie Morstad, Carson Ellis, Jon Klassen, and Tomi Ungerer.
“Hands down, Beatrice Alemagna is my favorite contemporary illustrator," said the Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator of Last Stop on Market Street, Christian Robinson.
On a Magical Do-Nothing Day has been recognized with a Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators. Don't miss this picture book that beautifully encourages unplugged exploration.
This picture book with startlingly beautiful words and pictures will spur imagination and a break from boredom or screen time. Now a New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year!
All I want to do on a rainy day like today is play my game. My mom says it’s a waste of time, but without my game, nothing is fun! On the other hand, maybe I’m wrong about that…
While reading On a Magical Do-Nothing Day, one gets the sense that the illustrator became lost in her drawings, and as a reader, you'll want to do the same. Perfect for fans of picture books by Julie Morstad, Carson Ellis, Jon Klassen, and Tomi Ungerer.
“Hands down, Beatrice Alemagna is my favorite contemporary illustrator," said the Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator of Last Stop on Market Street, Christian Robinson.
On a Magical Do-Nothing Day has been recognized with a Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators. Don't miss this picture book that beautifully encourages unplugged exploration.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published October 15, 2016
7 people are currently reading
1058 people want to read
About the author
Beatrice Alemagna
78 books206 followersBeatrice Alemagna was born in Bologna, Italy in 1973. She graduated from the Istituto Superiore for industrial arts in Urbino, Italy. She has won numerous international awards for her illustration. She now lives in Paris, France, where she works as an author and illustrator as well as a designer of childrens books, posters and collages.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 346 reviews
July 16, 2020
A child goes to stay in the countryside with their mum. Whilst mum works the child is busy gaming until mum confiscates the gaming device. Taking the game anyway the child is forced out into the rain but takes their console with them. Accidentally dropping the game in the water the child resorts to looking at the world around themselves for amusement which results in an interesting and enjoyable day despite the weather.
This book reminded me a lot of Tove Jansson's The Dangerous Journey which is a favourite of ours. An enjoyable look at the rainy outdoor world through the eyes of a child. Beautiful illustrations.
This book reminded me a lot of Tove Jansson's The Dangerous Journey which is a favourite of ours. An enjoyable look at the rainy outdoor world through the eyes of a child. Beautiful illustrations.
December 24, 2017
I decided to read all seven of the books Maria Popova (on twitter) says were the loveliest picture books of 2017:
https://www.brainpickings.org/2017/12...
This is my fourth in the series, a NY Times Picture book of the Year, mainly for its pretty stunning illustrations by the author. A girl wants to stay inside and just play her gameboy. Her mother pushes her outside, where she loses the device and then has to discover nature instead: Snails, mushrooms, mud, sunbeams, running, falling.
"The whole world seemed brand-new, as if it had been created right in front of me."
"I talked to a bird."
"I breathed in air until my lungs were bursting."
"I noticed bugs I'd never seen before."
And once you start noticing things, everything changes, your relationship to the natural world, to people, and yourself.
https://www.brainpickings.org/2017/12...
This is my fourth in the series, a NY Times Picture book of the Year, mainly for its pretty stunning illustrations by the author. A girl wants to stay inside and just play her gameboy. Her mother pushes her outside, where she loses the device and then has to discover nature instead: Snails, mushrooms, mud, sunbeams, running, falling.
"The whole world seemed brand-new, as if it had been created right in front of me."
"I talked to a bird."
"I breathed in air until my lungs were bursting."
"I noticed bugs I'd never seen before."
And once you start noticing things, everything changes, your relationship to the natural world, to people, and yourself.
March 22, 2025
یه سال بود که دلم میخواست از خونه برم بیرون بدون این که بدونم مقصدم کجاست.
امروز هرجایی دلم خواست رفتم و هرچی رو دلم میخواست دیدم. ترسی هم نداشتم چون میدونستم آخرش راه برگشت رو پیدا میکنم.
امروز هرجایی دلم خواست رفتم و هرچی رو دلم میخواست دیدم. ترسی هم نداشتم چون میدونستم آخرش راه برگشت رو پیدا میکنم.
August 10, 2018
Had Goodreads had a half-star rating system, this book would've gotten 3.5. It's a lovely read surrounded by cute-ish, seemingly old-fashioned illustrations. Regarding the story, the protagonist is a child much alike most of other today's children - computer games are all it takes to keep them busy.
The child, whose gender is not explicitly mentioned in the text (which I love!), one day chooses to go for a walk in the woods, puts on a bright orange raincoat - in complete contrast with the outside world - and tries not to get the game all wet due to rain. Unfortunately, the game falls in the water and there is nothing else to do but keep on walking. And that's where the magic happens! The forest comes alive, the colors become more vivid, the creatures turn into friends and passers-by... a really nice childhood experience!
What made me give it a three-star rating is the fact that, in spite of it being a children's book, it might not be well-understood at that age, and could potentially be more accepted among adults, reminding them of their own children or themselves. Also, the text is incredibly hard to read - putting dark-colored letters on top of gloomy illustrations is not the best thing to do, y'know.
Overall, it's a nice book to read when talking with your child about electronics not being the only fun in the world. It might prove to be a great addition to your own words.
The child, whose gender is not explicitly mentioned in the text (which I love!), one day chooses to go for a walk in the woods, puts on a bright orange raincoat - in complete contrast with the outside world - and tries not to get the game all wet due to rain. Unfortunately, the game falls in the water and there is nothing else to do but keep on walking. And that's where the magic happens! The forest comes alive, the colors become more vivid, the creatures turn into friends and passers-by... a really nice childhood experience!
What made me give it a three-star rating is the fact that, in spite of it being a children's book, it might not be well-understood at that age, and could potentially be more accepted among adults, reminding them of their own children or themselves. Also, the text is incredibly hard to read - putting dark-colored letters on top of gloomy illustrations is not the best thing to do, y'know.
Overall, it's a nice book to read when talking with your child about electronics not being the only fun in the world. It might prove to be a great addition to your own words.
December 11, 2023
تصاویر فوقالعاده
روایتی نسبتاً معمولی با حالوهوای دیگر آثار نویسنده
و ترجمهی پلشت
روایتی نسبتاً معمولی با حالوهوای دیگر آثار نویسنده
و ترجمهی پلشت
January 27, 2018
I'm slowly making my way through The 7 Loveliest Children’s Books of 2017 as selected by brainpickings. You can see the list here: https://www.brainpickings.org/2017/12...
This is the fourth picture book on the list that I've read and it's worth picking up for the art alone. The illustrations are lush and wonderfully textured. The story is about this young kid who is bored, bored bored. After the electronic gadget is accidentally dropped in the water, what is a little person to do? Good thing there are trees, and dirt, and rocks, and the whole natural world just outside to explore. I particularly liked that the gender of the kid is not easily identifiable and never mentioned.
Put down all things with an on/off switch and get outside. That's a message I can get behind. This would be a lovely read aloud story for all the littles in your life.
This is the fourth picture book on the list that I've read and it's worth picking up for the art alone. The illustrations are lush and wonderfully textured. The story is about this young kid who is bored, bored bored. After the electronic gadget is accidentally dropped in the water, what is a little person to do? Good thing there are trees, and dirt, and rocks, and the whole natural world just outside to explore. I particularly liked that the gender of the kid is not easily identifiable and never mentioned.
Put down all things with an on/off switch and get outside. That's a message I can get behind. This would be a lovely read aloud story for all the littles in your life.
November 10, 2018
A young girl, trapped inside on a rainy day, is bored and unhappy playing her video game. Despite this, she resents her mother for taking the game away, and, sneaking off with the device, she heads out into the wet world. Losing the game in a nearby pond, she is at first distraught, until some snails alert her to the beauty of the natural world around her, and she discovers the seductive pleasure of everything from mud to plants to stones...
Originally published in France as Un grand jour de rien, this lovely picture-book exploration of the magic of a child's encounter with the natural world is very reminiscent of author/artist Beatrice Alemagna's earlier The Wonderful Fluffy Little Squishy , which won a Batchelder Award (given to translated children's books) here in the United States. Like that earlier title, which used a bright pink visual element to great effect in the artwork, here the vivid orange of the girl's raincoat provides a lovely contrast to the deep browns and greys of the rainy world around her. I really enjoy Alemagna's use of color here, and how the brightening vista outside paralleled her young heroine's lightening mood. The story itself highlights the pure joy of playing outside in the rain, something I enjoyed myself when young. Recommended to anyone looking for children's stories that emphasize the importance of outdoor play and engagement with nature in the lives of young people, as well as to those who admire Alemagna's beautiful artwork.
Originally published in France as Un grand jour de rien, this lovely picture-book exploration of the magic of a child's encounter with the natural world is very reminiscent of author/artist Beatrice Alemagna's earlier The Wonderful Fluffy Little Squishy , which won a Batchelder Award (given to translated children's books) here in the United States. Like that earlier title, which used a bright pink visual element to great effect in the artwork, here the vivid orange of the girl's raincoat provides a lovely contrast to the deep browns and greys of the rainy world around her. I really enjoy Alemagna's use of color here, and how the brightening vista outside paralleled her young heroine's lightening mood. The story itself highlights the pure joy of playing outside in the rain, something I enjoyed myself when young. Recommended to anyone looking for children's stories that emphasize the importance of outdoor play and engagement with nature in the lives of young people, as well as to those who admire Alemagna's beautiful artwork.
December 5, 2017
One of the NYT Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2017. A bored modern child is encouraged to go out and play on a rainy day, and after losing their electronic device, are able to open themselves up to the wonders of rain, play, dirt, imagination, and the natural world. The child in the lovely illustrations( that seem to be Pacific rainforesty) may be perceived as either male of female. I actually liked the rendering of the interior of their cozy book -and- junk filled house better than the illustrations of the outdoors. One problem for me centers on the characterization of that house as their "cabin"- apparently a retreat for the mother's work as a writer. Father works in the "city" where presumably their real house exists. Even though I know lots of people are rich and have two houses, I didn't like this stuffy insertion of privilege, at all.
October 22, 2017
"Why hadn't I done these things before today?"
Love these illustrations, especially the neon orange raincoat, which feels linked to the neon pink fluffy in Alemagna's THE WONDERFUL FLUFFY LITTLE SQUISHY. Both are objects that are kind of infused with specialness and strangeness, that lead to experiences and observations and connections for the child at the center of each story on their quest for something.
I also liked the way the ending hints at the mother's writing endeavor inside on this rainy day as sort of doing the same thing the child had done outside on this rainy day: daydreaming, noticing, doing nothing in a magical way (which is kind of what writing and what exploring without a goal are).
Love these illustrations, especially the neon orange raincoat, which feels linked to the neon pink fluffy in Alemagna's THE WONDERFUL FLUFFY LITTLE SQUISHY. Both are objects that are kind of infused with specialness and strangeness, that lead to experiences and observations and connections for the child at the center of each story on their quest for something.
I also liked the way the ending hints at the mother's writing endeavor inside on this rainy day as sort of doing the same thing the child had done outside on this rainy day: daydreaming, noticing, doing nothing in a magical way (which is kind of what writing and what exploring without a goal are).
February 13, 2019
Whimsical, child-like and happy with bold, vibrant colors. Beatrice Alemagna is one of the greatest children's picture book illustrator's of our time. Five sparkling stars all the way!
November 12, 2020
বেয়াত্রিচে আলেমান্যার আঁকা রেখা দেখলে হঠাৎ বিনা কুণ্ঠায় সুন্দর বলা কঠিন। কিন্তু এক রেখার সাথে আরেক রেখা, এক রঙের পাশে আরেক রং জুড়ে বলা তাঁর চিত্রকথাগুলো একটু পর সে কুণ্ঠাকে গলা টিপে মেরে ফেলে। শিশুর চোখে দেখা পৃথিবীর সবটুকু "বড়দের ছাড়পত্র পাওয়া শিশুতোষ" নয়, এ সত্য মেনে নিয়ে লেখা-আঁকা গল্প; বেশ ভালো লেগেছে। শিরোনামটা আমার নিজের শৈশবের জাদুমাখা নাই-কাজ দিনগুলোর কথা মনে করিয়ে দিয়েছে।
October 4, 2017
Nature can awaken even the most stodgy of imaginations. In MAGICAL DO-NOTHING DAY, Alemagna's bespectacled, bored child (gender is never addressed, which I LOVE) finds theirs jump-started after they drop their video game in a pond and begin to notice the wonder of the woods around them. Alemagna's prose and illustrations sing with delicious metaphor, and her magical, mystical forest is rich in texture and detail. I dare you to read this book and not want to immediately go traipsing through the woods, finding your own magic.
September 10, 2019
I’m an advocate for boredom and outdoor play for children. It’s the beginning of creativity. This book is a perfect example of this ideal and healthy experience. The pictures were beautifully done as well.
Read
July 22, 2023استمتع بأي أدبٍ يطرح فكرة ”الملل“ بشكل إيجابي تعليمي. أن لا بأس بأن تبتعد عن شاشتك بعض الوقت، وأن تحيا لحظاتٍ من الملل دون شكوى، فهذا، مع الوقت، يفتح لك أبوابًا أكثر إبداعًا ويُعيِّشك أوقاتًا أشد متعة.
October 1, 2017
Beautifully illustrated story of a boy and his mom who go to a cabin the woods and where he discovers a a world of wonder.
July 8, 2019
So many questions to ask and so many different answers. Given my class some time to think about it tonight and come back to me with their ideas tomorrow. Love it and so did they.
January 24, 2018
Okay. I had a lot of issues with this book. I'll start with the illustrations just by saying they look like a child did them. If a child did do them, I love them a lot more. If an adult did them (and either accidentally or on purpose) made them look this way, I really could not connect with them at all.
Plot: Preachy much? Childhoods change. There's nothing magical about playing outside more than playing inside, and this book sounded like one of those parents that constantly says, "Back in my day...!!" like 1,000 times a day without realizing that living as a child today is a different experience than it was back in your day, peedle-pops. The overhanging judgey attitude behind this book just throws me off. Now, that's not to say that if a person genuinely enjoys outside that there's anything wrong with that. This book just rubbed me the wrong way.
WTF BookMom/BookKid Moment: If a kid A) drops a 3DS or some sort of handheld device in a pond and then B) just leaves it, the reward is not hot cocoa. Those things are ridiculously expensive, considering that the games aren't free. There would serious consequences for damaging andor losing one, not to mention I don't think any child entrusted with such a device would take it outside...IN THE RAIN. Also, games nowadays are way beyond Atari's ALIEN game in plot, difficulty, and required actions. That would not be the game she was playing.
Also, video games are not "doing nothing." They teach you problem solving, eye-hand-coordination, communication, logic, pattern spotting, and even the technical basics (if not the physical basics on systems like the Wii) of certain skills. They are highly important systems, and seeing them ragged-on in a picture book--A NEW ONE AT THAT--just makes this book seem so out of touch.
Now, the one part I did like: her dad wasn't there and she missed him. At the end, she felt like she'd been able to connect with him even though he never appeared. I liked the quiet moment of drinking cocoa in the kitchen. Those moments were very sweet. I just wished they had been framed so much better.
Plot: Preachy much? Childhoods change. There's nothing magical about playing outside more than playing inside, and this book sounded like one of those parents that constantly says, "Back in my day...!!" like 1,000 times a day without realizing that living as a child today is a different experience than it was back in your day, peedle-pops. The overhanging judgey attitude behind this book just throws me off. Now, that's not to say that if a person genuinely enjoys outside that there's anything wrong with that. This book just rubbed me the wrong way.
WTF BookMom/BookKid Moment: If a kid A) drops a 3DS or some sort of handheld device in a pond and then B) just leaves it, the reward is not hot cocoa. Those things are ridiculously expensive, considering that the games aren't free. There would serious consequences for damaging andor losing one, not to mention I don't think any child entrusted with such a device would take it outside...IN THE RAIN. Also, games nowadays are way beyond Atari's ALIEN game in plot, difficulty, and required actions. That would not be the game she was playing.
Also, video games are not "doing nothing." They teach you problem solving, eye-hand-coordination, communication, logic, pattern spotting, and even the technical basics (if not the physical basics on systems like the Wii) of certain skills. They are highly important systems, and seeing them ragged-on in a picture book--A NEW ONE AT THAT--just makes this book seem so out of touch.
Now, the one part I did like: her dad wasn't there and she missed him. At the end, she felt like she'd been able to connect with him even though he never appeared. I liked the quiet moment of drinking cocoa in the kitchen. Those moments were very sweet. I just wished they had been framed so much better.
January 21, 2018
A young girl and her mother arrive at their cabin on a rainy, rainy day. Not really happy to be there while her mother works, the girl loses herself in her device, playing games and destroying Martians. When her mother takes the device away from her and tells her to go outside, the girl manages to pocket the device so that her mother doesn’t notice. But while jumping from rock to rock in the pond, the device falls int the water. Now what? She is afraid she will be lost without her games. Sitting against a tree in total despair, four huge snails appear and when the girl asks them if there is anything to do around there, “Yes, indeed” they tell her and suddenly the young girl’s day becomes magical. The rest of that rainy day is spent exploring and remembering a time before her device and games took over her life. Why, at the end of the day, she asks herself, hadn’t she done these things before? Why indeed! The excitement of discovery rolling down a hill she lands on her back and as she sees the world upside down, suddenly it feels brand new.
October 17, 2017
Enchanting & grumpy & beautiful & perfect.
September 8, 2018
The compositions and story here is perfect. It's everything a picture book should be.
August 18, 2020
Your mother sends you out.
Your game falls into the water.
Oh no, you think. Now I have nothing to do.
But suddenly, unexpectedly, you find you can do anything. You are free.
Delightful.
Charming.
Your game falls into the water.
Oh no, you think. Now I have nothing to do.
But suddenly, unexpectedly, you find you can do anything. You are free.
Delightful.
Charming.
November 15, 2021
A heartwarming, thought provoking picturebook which perfectly identifies how amazing the outdoors is! This book allows the reader to think about their own screen time and how often we use technology rather than exploring what’s actually around us. A perfect book for inspiring children to put down their screens and get outside
November 21, 2017
The character within this book was very relatable, a lot of children can feel bored and like they have nothing to do. The child goes from playing on a computer game to going on an adventure and the child running away with their imagination. I also loved the illustrations within the book.
July 14, 2023
The illustrations were gorgeous! The snails! 🐌 🐌🐌 The mushrooms! 🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄 😍
November 17, 2018
This is a wonderful story about the magic of the world all around us that we can only see if we really stop and look closely.
A little girl and her mother have left the city (and the girls father) behind to go to their house in the country so mom can write. Its a rainy, miserable day and all the little girl wants to do is sit and play her video game. When mom tries to hide the game the little girl opts to put on her raincoat and go outside to play it in secret. But, she's out of luck when she drops the game in a pond.
But the tears only last for a moment and soon the little girl is rambling through the woods, appreciating all the things she could never be bothered to look up from her game to notice before. Her imagination starts to run wild as she imagines the creatures that live under the ground and the myriad ways everything in nature is connected. She races through the rain, dancing and rolling down hills, suddenly and wonderfully delighted with just being a little girl in the rainy woods.
This is one of those rare children's books with an important message to impart but the wisdom to impart it without banging you over the head. Really its a simple one anyway. Just slow down for a sec and look up from your screen, take a breath, and just take it all in. Just for a second.
There's an effervescence to the artwork that really sells the story. Alemagna has a very light touch with her brush, her lines are very gentle and while her colors are on the browner side its the sort of color you expect from a rainy, muddy sort of day. There's a feeling of freshness and cool air wafting over everything.
Let the worries of the day go for a minute and spend some time wandering in the woods with this little lady. Its well worth it.
A little girl and her mother have left the city (and the girls father) behind to go to their house in the country so mom can write. Its a rainy, miserable day and all the little girl wants to do is sit and play her video game. When mom tries to hide the game the little girl opts to put on her raincoat and go outside to play it in secret. But, she's out of luck when she drops the game in a pond.
But the tears only last for a moment and soon the little girl is rambling through the woods, appreciating all the things she could never be bothered to look up from her game to notice before. Her imagination starts to run wild as she imagines the creatures that live under the ground and the myriad ways everything in nature is connected. She races through the rain, dancing and rolling down hills, suddenly and wonderfully delighted with just being a little girl in the rainy woods.
This is one of those rare children's books with an important message to impart but the wisdom to impart it without banging you over the head. Really its a simple one anyway. Just slow down for a sec and look up from your screen, take a breath, and just take it all in. Just for a second.
There's an effervescence to the artwork that really sells the story. Alemagna has a very light touch with her brush, her lines are very gentle and while her colors are on the browner side its the sort of color you expect from a rainy, muddy sort of day. There's a feeling of freshness and cool air wafting over everything.
Let the worries of the day go for a minute and spend some time wandering in the woods with this little lady. Its well worth it.
December 2, 2021
This book won book of the year? Why?
I didn't really like this book. I think it accomplished its purpose of making adults feel nostalgic for the days of childhood and discovery, and that it made the point of the importance of unplugging and going outside and experiencing this world for itself. Yeah, it made those points. But it did it so cavalierly. I couldn't get into it. The symbolism was weird. When the kid looks into the mirror and sees the absent father smiling in approval I really disengaged.
But the whole thing was weird. What was the story? What was the plotline? Why did the mother get angry with the kid for playing the game all the time when all she is doing is sitting in front of a computer? That seems pretty hypocritical to me. If you want your kid to do something other than play games, you have to model that kind of behavior to them in a way that they understand, just lecturing doesn't work.
I didn't like the art. Things happened in a weird sequence, there was too much weird interplay of what was real and what wasn't. I was struggling with what to write below and if it was a narrative or not. It's not really, it's more of a series of impressions. Emotions captured by a couple of words and some paint on the page. But there is nothing that really unifies it into a narrative structure.
I didn't like it.
Story: ....impressionistic
Art: Ick.
Price:
I didn't really like this book. I think it accomplished its purpose of making adults feel nostalgic for the days of childhood and discovery, and that it made the point of the importance of unplugging and going outside and experiencing this world for itself. Yeah, it made those points. But it did it so cavalierly. I couldn't get into it. The symbolism was weird. When the kid looks into the mirror and sees the absent father smiling in approval I really disengaged.
But the whole thing was weird. What was the story? What was the plotline? Why did the mother get angry with the kid for playing the game all the time when all she is doing is sitting in front of a computer? That seems pretty hypocritical to me. If you want your kid to do something other than play games, you have to model that kind of behavior to them in a way that they understand, just lecturing doesn't work.
I didn't like the art. Things happened in a weird sequence, there was too much weird interplay of what was real and what wasn't. I was struggling with what to write below and if it was a narrative or not. It's not really, it's more of a series of impressions. Emotions captured by a couple of words and some paint on the page. But there is nothing that really unifies it into a narrative structure.
I didn't like it.
Story: ....impressionistic
Art: Ick.
Price:
December 18, 2017
I like the illustrations (though why did no one notice that in one picture the kid's jacket wasn't colored in at all?), but the story is dumb. Instead of writing a story about a video-addicted kid who goes and explores nature, just give us a book that glorifies nature and imagination. I feel like Marie Hall Ets got this concept better.
September 19, 2019
I didn't connect with this book because it feels like it was written by an adult who sees kids playing video games (the kid literally has a Nintendo DS) and wants them to do anything else because they don't understand what's really going on in the game, and that's a reductive way of looking at gaming even in 2016, when this was published.
September 14, 2017
4.5 stars-- Wonderful! Unique, creative, and a little surreal. A celebration of putting down the gadgets and taking a look, a real look, at the world around you!
June 5, 2022
The rain swamps these illustrations in a gloriously gloomy way. The intricately dull backdrop offsets the perfect shining coral star that is the heroine's raincoat.
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