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Bad Day
Popular children's book author-illustrator Ruby Roth gives us the heartening story of a little boy who's had a very bad day and just needs some quiet space to work out his feelings in his own way, on his own time
What do you do when you’re feeling overwhelmed? In Bad Day, things are not going well for Hennie. Small things loom large, going from bad to worse as the day-that-never-ends goes on. But with a deep breath and some quiet reflection, Hennie begins to make sense of his feelings and discovers the power of turning inward. Affirming and funny at wonderfully relatable moments, this timely mindfulness resource helps children process their inner lives, guiding them toward self-empowerment and resilience.
What do you do when you’re feeling overwhelmed? In Bad Day, things are not going well for Hennie. Small things loom large, going from bad to worse as the day-that-never-ends goes on. But with a deep breath and some quiet reflection, Hennie begins to make sense of his feelings and discovers the power of turning inward. Affirming and funny at wonderfully relatable moments, this timely mindfulness resource helps children process their inner lives, guiding them toward self-empowerment and resilience.
32 pages, Hardcover
Published September 10, 2019
1 person is currently reading
2540 people want to read
About the author
Ruby Roth
11 books78 followersFeatured on CNN, FOX, Today, and other major media outlets, Ruby Roth is an artist and the world's leading author and illustrator of vegan and vegetarian books for children.
Vegan since 2003, Roth was teaching art at an elementary school when her students' fascination with her eating habits inspired her to write That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals in 2009—the first book of its kind in children's literature. Vegan Is Love and V Is for Vegan. Today, Roth's books have been translated into multiple languages including German, Italian, Korean, French, Polish, Finnish, and Slovenian.
Complementing her degrees in art and American Studies, Roth has researched animal agriculture, health, nutrition, and the benefits of a plant-based diet for over a decade.
Vegan since 2003, Roth was teaching art at an elementary school when her students' fascination with her eating habits inspired her to write That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals in 2009—the first book of its kind in children's literature. Vegan Is Love and V Is for Vegan. Today, Roth's books have been translated into multiple languages including German, Italian, Korean, French, Polish, Finnish, and Slovenian.
Complementing her degrees in art and American Studies, Roth has researched animal agriculture, health, nutrition, and the benefits of a plant-based diet for over a decade.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
May 6, 2022
This is the perfect book for helping kids (and adults!) deal with the feelings that come along with having a bad day. The illustrations are great! I look forward to sharing it with the little ones in my life.
This unbiased review is based on a copy won through the Goodreads Giveaway program.
This unbiased review is based on a copy won through the Goodreads Giveaway program.
September 30, 2019
Everyone has bad days now and then. Days when emotions are spinning out of control and you feel overwhelmed and imprisoned by them. How can you get a grip on these feelings and turn that frown upside down?
Popular children's book author/illustrator Ruby Roth introduces us to Hennie, a little boy who is having a very bad day and needs some coping skills to get through it.
"I'm way too crabby, I'll cry!
I'm grumpy and frumpy and down-in-the-dumpy.
Don't ask me, 'cause I DON'T KNOW WHY!"
Hennie's whole day seems cause for him to flip out: he has a bumpy car ride to school, his sock gets all lumpy and is a challenge for him to put on, he loses his favourite spoon at lunchtime and his belly hurts. His teacher is yell-y which makes him really upset. The last straw is when he can't tie his shoe laces properly causing him to take a tumble right in front of his classmates. They all laugh and make fun of him for being such a klutz. How much can one little guy take?
When Hennie drags himself home he withdraws to his room and draws a sad face on a brown paper bag. He proceeds to stick his head inside because his reality face is totally out of expressions. Inside that bag he finds peace and reflection time for his feelings. The timeout alone allows him to quiet his inward self and to gain perspective as to why he is overcome with distraught emotions that make him feel deeply sad and defeated.
Secluded inside his paper bag hideaway Hennie muses over his tough day and reaches a wonderful, positive conclusion:
"Though the day was all wrong,
I'm actually STRONG! Li'l me can handle a lot!"
The author's message is clear... think positive thoughts and take some time for mindfulness so you can calm down, assess what's happening and after contemplating on your plight emerge a happier more confident person. Everyone, both young and old, can take this message to heart and learn how to seek peace and turn a bad day into a good one. I highly recommend this book.
Popular children's book author/illustrator Ruby Roth introduces us to Hennie, a little boy who is having a very bad day and needs some coping skills to get through it.
"I'm way too crabby, I'll cry!
I'm grumpy and frumpy and down-in-the-dumpy.
Don't ask me, 'cause I DON'T KNOW WHY!"
Hennie's whole day seems cause for him to flip out: he has a bumpy car ride to school, his sock gets all lumpy and is a challenge for him to put on, he loses his favourite spoon at lunchtime and his belly hurts. His teacher is yell-y which makes him really upset. The last straw is when he can't tie his shoe laces properly causing him to take a tumble right in front of his classmates. They all laugh and make fun of him for being such a klutz. How much can one little guy take?
When Hennie drags himself home he withdraws to his room and draws a sad face on a brown paper bag. He proceeds to stick his head inside because his reality face is totally out of expressions. Inside that bag he finds peace and reflection time for his feelings. The timeout alone allows him to quiet his inward self and to gain perspective as to why he is overcome with distraught emotions that make him feel deeply sad and defeated.
Secluded inside his paper bag hideaway Hennie muses over his tough day and reaches a wonderful, positive conclusion:
"Though the day was all wrong,
I'm actually STRONG! Li'l me can handle a lot!"
The author's message is clear... think positive thoughts and take some time for mindfulness so you can calm down, assess what's happening and after contemplating on your plight emerge a happier more confident person. Everyone, both young and old, can take this message to heart and learn how to seek peace and turn a bad day into a good one. I highly recommend this book.
October 10, 2019
I think as parents we can relate to a bad day. Those days where we can’t say why we are feeling so down and frustrated but everything upsets us and everything seems wrong. I have had so many of those and even when I try to remind myself to be rational, it can be hard to control those feelings of hurt and frustration.
Now imagine those feelings in a child. A child can find it hard sometimes to express exactly how they are feeling or why they are upset. Sometimes they are just to young to even understand these feelings or even to know the words to describe those feelings. So instead they act out, they may yell, they may cry and they may say things that are not the nicest. As parents, we need to teach them to listen to those feelings, learn how to express themselves and understand that it will get better – all while keeping our own cool, not the easiest task!
This beautiful book is cleverly written so that your child will relate very easily to our main character, Hennie. He is just having the most awful day and all he wants is for everyone to ignore him. I could actually see my own kids in him (and maybe even a bit of myself if I am honest because how many times do we just want to hide some days?). It takes a bit of time but Hennie, after spending some time reflecting, realizes that even bad days have good lessons for us and that we can overcome the worst days by looking at the positive.
I loved how this book gets you talking with your child – use the book to identify some similarities, how we react when things don’t go quite our way or when something hurts us and how can we face these feelings and turn our day around. It is that excellent reminder to young children (as well as older children who may need that reminder) that we have the power to turn our bad days into good ones by using positivity and seeing the good in every situation. This is a great tool to start those important discussions with children around feelings, sharing how we feel and how we overcome disappointment.
You can purchase a copy of
Now imagine those feelings in a child. A child can find it hard sometimes to express exactly how they are feeling or why they are upset. Sometimes they are just to young to even understand these feelings or even to know the words to describe those feelings. So instead they act out, they may yell, they may cry and they may say things that are not the nicest. As parents, we need to teach them to listen to those feelings, learn how to express themselves and understand that it will get better – all while keeping our own cool, not the easiest task!
This beautiful book is cleverly written so that your child will relate very easily to our main character, Hennie. He is just having the most awful day and all he wants is for everyone to ignore him. I could actually see my own kids in him (and maybe even a bit of myself if I am honest because how many times do we just want to hide some days?). It takes a bit of time but Hennie, after spending some time reflecting, realizes that even bad days have good lessons for us and that we can overcome the worst days by looking at the positive.
I loved how this book gets you talking with your child – use the book to identify some similarities, how we react when things don’t go quite our way or when something hurts us and how can we face these feelings and turn our day around. It is that excellent reminder to young children (as well as older children who may need that reminder) that we have the power to turn our bad days into good ones by using positivity and seeing the good in every situation. This is a great tool to start those important discussions with children around feelings, sharing how we feel and how we overcome disappointment.
You can purchase a copy of
October 23, 2019
As a parent, I have always felt that books are not only a window into other worlds but also resources to help our children navigate the difficulties of life. We live in a stressful world, and young children are feeling anxiety without knowing how to deal with it. I was happy to read Bad Day that tackles this topic and empowers children to become aware of and to change their thought processes to bring about change. This mindfullness habit is powerful and should be taught to all children.
In Bad Day, a boy is having a bad day and he doesn't know why. That happens to me too. Some of us instinctively want to withdraw, as does this boy. He puts a brown paper bag over his head to hide. This can be symbolic for retreating into our room, for shutting the world out, which is okay to do when we need to deal with our feelings. But after some reflection of what happened throughout his day that has made him feel bad and some wallowing in his grief and anger, the boy begins to reflect. He recognizes that he had a bad day but that he can analize his feelings (even if this is painful), handle them, and then decide he is strong and can feel good again.
Honestly, this is the first step to getting out of a depressed state. One needs to train the mind to see what has caused these feelings and then to decide to move on and learn from them. Having a children's book that deals with this important skill is so refreshing to see. I wish I had this book when I was a kid!
The illustrations are simple but perfect for this book since they truly focus on the boy and his being alone with his thoughts. Even a very young child could understand what is going on. There are no distractions in the illustrations, and the cartoonish drawings are appropriate for this age group.
Bad Day is a great learning tool that parents can use to teach their children to face their feelings and to see that things do get better. We have control over how we feel and teaching this to our children can empower them. Kudos to Ruby Roth for tackling this topic!
In Bad Day, a boy is having a bad day and he doesn't know why. That happens to me too. Some of us instinctively want to withdraw, as does this boy. He puts a brown paper bag over his head to hide. This can be symbolic for retreating into our room, for shutting the world out, which is okay to do when we need to deal with our feelings. But after some reflection of what happened throughout his day that has made him feel bad and some wallowing in his grief and anger, the boy begins to reflect. He recognizes that he had a bad day but that he can analize his feelings (even if this is painful), handle them, and then decide he is strong and can feel good again.
Honestly, this is the first step to getting out of a depressed state. One needs to train the mind to see what has caused these feelings and then to decide to move on and learn from them. Having a children's book that deals with this important skill is so refreshing to see. I wish I had this book when I was a kid!
The illustrations are simple but perfect for this book since they truly focus on the boy and his being alone with his thoughts. Even a very young child could understand what is going on. There are no distractions in the illustrations, and the cartoonish drawings are appropriate for this age group.
Bad Day is a great learning tool that parents can use to teach their children to face their feelings and to see that things do get better. We have control over how we feel and teaching this to our children can empower them. Kudos to Ruby Roth for tackling this topic!
October 23, 2019
Everyone has had a really bad, no good day, and this book brings it down to a relatable level while packing in some humor and good messages along the way.
Hennie decides there's only one way to handle his bad day—to pull a paper bag over his head and leave it there. Forever, if need be. He fusses and fumes, and while staring at the paper, thinks back to all of the bad things that happened to him. And there were quite a few. But as he thinks, he realizes something he didn't before.
Hennie is adorable, and his attitude is completely understandable. The idea of simply pulling a paper bag over the head is something many readers can relate to (young and old). The illustrations allow this fuming to come to life with a touch of humor. The scenes allow Hennie's problems to come across clearly, but also illustrate how silly pulling a bag over the head can be. Young readers will sympathize...even with the bad moments of his day.
Hennie solves his problem himself by suddenly realizing that it was a tough day. I found this a bit of a stretch, since I don't know of any kids that age who can make this step on their own (not even many adults). Still, the message is one readers can learn from and does offer a sensible alternative to dealing with bad days.
I received a complimentary copy and found it fun and interesting enough to want to leave my honest thoughts.
Hennie decides there's only one way to handle his bad day—to pull a paper bag over his head and leave it there. Forever, if need be. He fusses and fumes, and while staring at the paper, thinks back to all of the bad things that happened to him. And there were quite a few. But as he thinks, he realizes something he didn't before.
Hennie is adorable, and his attitude is completely understandable. The idea of simply pulling a paper bag over the head is something many readers can relate to (young and old). The illustrations allow this fuming to come to life with a touch of humor. The scenes allow Hennie's problems to come across clearly, but also illustrate how silly pulling a bag over the head can be. Young readers will sympathize...even with the bad moments of his day.
Hennie solves his problem himself by suddenly realizing that it was a tough day. I found this a bit of a stretch, since I don't know of any kids that age who can make this step on their own (not even many adults). Still, the message is one readers can learn from and does offer a sensible alternative to dealing with bad days.
I received a complimentary copy and found it fun and interesting enough to want to leave my honest thoughts.
November 5, 2019
Forget just ages three to seven, can I give copies to most every adult I know? I'm quite serious. Our main character has had a legitimately bad day, and he is legitimately upset because of it. He needs to take some time to himself and process. Which he does, in a way that doesn't make the day worse. (Misery isn't like an earworm. You can't get rid of your own by giving it to someone else. Most people don't seem to know this.) Instead, our little guy figures out how to come to terms with the day's events and sally forth with renewed good humor. Again, skills that all too many adults don't have. Copies belong in every home, classroom, and office. Seriously. This book will also satisfy the 2019 Watauga County Public Library Reading Challenge categories: A Book Published in 2019; A book by an author you've never heard of before; A book that inspires you; A book you would recommend to someone else; A self-help book; A children's book published in 2019. I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways on Friday, September 20, 2019.
October 11, 2019
I received this book as a GoodReads Giveaway.
I am a school librarian and I entered into the giveaway thinking that if I won, the book might be a good addition to my school's library collection. Not only is this book going into the collection, but it's message (that children have the ability to control their own emotions and how they respond to a "bad day") is a great addition to a Second Step program we teach as part of the cultural arts rotation. The kindergarteners loved listening to this story as a read-aloud and it paired greatly with our first lesson on emotions. I hope to use this book for many years to come!
I am a school librarian and I entered into the giveaway thinking that if I won, the book might be a good addition to my school's library collection. Not only is this book going into the collection, but it's message (that children have the ability to control their own emotions and how they respond to a "bad day") is a great addition to a Second Step program we teach as part of the cultural arts rotation. The kindergarteners loved listening to this story as a read-aloud and it paired greatly with our first lesson on emotions. I hope to use this book for many years to come!
September 19, 2019
Thank you to Carney PR and North Atlantic Books for gifting us a copy in exchange of an honest review.
We all really enjoyed this book, and with Gavin and Liam just starting Kindergarten, I knew bad days were going to be on the horizon. I appreciated that this book teaches kids how to face issues, and things they are internalizing. It teaches them to share their feelings, and talk about things upsetting them. My boys enjoyed the illustrations, and liked the story a lot. As you can see in the photo, sometimes it quickly turns into a BAD DAY when mommy says it’s time to pick up the toy room.
We all really enjoyed this book, and with Gavin and Liam just starting Kindergarten, I knew bad days were going to be on the horizon. I appreciated that this book teaches kids how to face issues, and things they are internalizing. It teaches them to share their feelings, and talk about things upsetting them. My boys enjoyed the illustrations, and liked the story a lot. As you can see in the photo, sometimes it quickly turns into a BAD DAY when mommy says it’s time to pick up the toy room.
September 24, 2019
Yay for book mail!
Thanks Goodreads contest for this book mail.
Bad Day by Ruby Roth tells the story of Hennie who is not having a good day. The book follow show cruddy day feelings and how to cope with your bad feelings.
I absolutely love the author/illustrator’s use of color and grey to create the mood for the story. I also really love the ending and the character’s positive resolution to his and day!
Thanks Goodreads contest for this book mail.
Bad Day by Ruby Roth tells the story of Hennie who is not having a good day. The book follow show cruddy day feelings and how to cope with your bad feelings.
I absolutely love the author/illustrator’s use of color and grey to create the mood for the story. I also really love the ending and the character’s positive resolution to his and day!
September 24, 2019
The story was cute and my 4 year old enjoyed it although I thought the rhyming and rhythm was somewhat awkward. We have had several conversations about how to turn a bad day around because of the book. My daughter and I agreed the illustrations were very well done. The book was upside down though. The cover was one way and the pages inside were all the other way. I received this book for an honest review.
October 10, 2019
I was the lucky winner of this book. I entered the drawing so that I might release it into one of the Little Free Libraries which I steward. I really like the illustrations, and thought the story of turning a "bad" day around was well done. I especially liked that the boy didn't realize he was entitled to be grumpy until he reviewed his day and found that it was a logical response.
September 5, 2019
"I'm way too crabby, I'll cry! I'm grumpy and frumpy and down-in-the-dumpy. Don't ask me, cause I don't know why!"
BAD DAY by Ruby Roth is a great book for helping kids process anger. Cute illustrations combined with playful words make this a great bibliotherapeutic book.
BAD DAY by Ruby Roth is a great book for helping kids process anger. Cute illustrations combined with playful words make this a great bibliotherapeutic book.
September 23, 2019
3.5 Stars rounded up to 4. It was a cute story, with a good message for young children. The flow was a little disjointed at times, but still an enjoyable read. I would recommend this book for children ages 3-6.
I won a copy of this book in a giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
I won a copy of this book in a giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
September 29, 2019
A great book to teach kids (and perhaps adults, too...) that they have the power to turn a bad day around. The text had me stumbling a few times, but the illustrations more than made up for it.
Recommended as a conversation starter, at home or in the classroom.
**Goodreads giveaway review**
Recommended as a conversation starter, at home or in the classroom.
**Goodreads giveaway review**
September 21, 2019
A good message and fun illustrations, but the rhythm was kind of awkward.
September 25, 2019
A wonderful book about accepting feelings and turning a bad day into a good day by focusing on strengths.
September 27, 2019
My kids and I read this and they loved it.
Great book.
Great book.
October 30, 2019
Good book for children to see how others have Bad Days too. The humor makes it very relatable.
October 31, 2019
Great book
Want to read
November 1, 2019Git this free from Goodreads giveaways. I am going to be giving it to my daughter for Xmas. It was weird someone suggested this book then I won. The illustration is cool.
November 28, 2019
Read this review and others at https://readingforsanity.blogspot.com...
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