For 50 years, Alexander's been having terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days
He wakes up with gum in his hair, slips on his skateboard, gets snubbed by his best friend — and it just gets worse. Alexander is still easy to recognize 50 years after he entered the world of children's books.
On June 1, 1972, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day was first published. Written by Judith Viorst with illustrations by Ray Cruz, the best seller has been made into a musical and a Hollywood movie. The book is so popular, Viorst's string of sad adjectives entered the vernacular; it's been used to describe lousy days, weeks and years far and wide, from political leaders to corporations.
Teachers have even used poor Alexander's misadventures to teach kids about cause and effect and ethics.
Viorst didn't need to look far for inspiration. The real Alexander is her third son, "and I guess in a way the most challenging of them because he did not want to be left out of anything," she reminisces, sitting on the now grown-up Alexander's front porch in Washington, D.C. "He was always chugging behind his brothers saying, 'Wait for me guys! Wait for me guys!'"
But that one day in this little boy's life is a cascade of bad karma.
https://www.npr.org/2022/06/01/1102134950/for-50-years-alexanders-been-having-terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad-days
___________________________________________________________________________________
My kids loved this book. So did my grandkids. So, as a matter of fact, did a lot of my adult friends.
= new reply since forum marked as read
