Thursday by Ann Bonwill, illustrated by Kayla Harren

Thursday by Ann Bonwill,

illustrated by Kayla Harren

Two Lions, 2022, 32 pages

Life altering events like divorce or loss are changes that can be really hard to deal with. This is particularly true for young children who don't necessarily understand what or why something is happening, and may even blame themselves for the change. Often, stories can help children cope with what is happening and Thursday is just that kind of book.

Thursdays, our narrator, a stuffed unicorn, tells us, used to be his little girl's favorite day. On Thursdays, she has art class and popsicles at lunch. But then, one Thursday, her parents told her they were going to get divorced, and the little girl knew that from now on, everything would be different and Thursdays were not longer her favorite day.   

The little girl tried to be brave, but it just wasn't happening. And so, she turns to her stuffed unicorn for comfort and companionship. After all, our unicorn narrator knows all about feeling lost and alone, then being saved by a friend. That's just how they found each other. First, they go to all of her favorite places and do her her favorite things and maybe even a few new things.

Not knowing what else to do, our unicorn narrator stays by her side until one day, the little girl hangs up a bird feeder and watching the birds flock to it, she decides it's time for her to gather all the little treasures from her life before the divorce and put them all in a box she can take wherever she goes. Eventually, her parents move to separate houses and some of the little girls stuff goes to one house and some to the other house, but the box of treasures will always travel with her.

Soon, she begins having some good days and some not so good days, but eventually Thursday became Thursday again, and our unicorn narrator finds his place in the little girl's box of treasures but available whenever she needs him.

Thursday is such a sensitive, tender story that takes a difficult topic and shows young readers that change does happen and that it's ok to be sad, but also that time and a good friend can help with healing and overcoming difficulties in a healthy, positive way.

I thought that having her stuffed unicorn tell this story and keeping the little girl nameless made her story a more universal one. I think readers could identify with the story more easily and put themselves in the girl's place. 

I thought using a decorated box to store treasures from the past was a brilliant metaphor for how you can keep your good memories and be able to take them out and revisit them whenever you want to, instead of just dwelling on the sad memories and the changes brought on by the divorce.

Look closely at the digital illustrations. There are so many that will generate some conversation with young kids. The first thing they will notice is a lovely home in the rain. My young readers knew right away this was not a good sign. I particularly liked the way the changes in the girl's life were depicted (see the first image above). The before is bright and colorful, while the divorce shows blue when she is with her mother and pink when she is with her father and the two pieces look like a broken egg (according to one of my readers.)    

Thursday is a book that should be read by any family dealing with divorce or even another kind of traumatic change. And even if your family isn't going through changes, it's a good story for helping young readers develop empathy for others who might be.

Thank you, Barbara Fisch of Blue Slip Media for providing me with a review copy of this book.

Meet the Author:

Ann Bonwill grew up in Maryland surrounded by books. Before becoming an author, Ann worked as a clinical social worker, a Montessori teacher, and an autism therapist. She is the author of multiple picture books and nonfiction books for children, including When Mermaids Sleep, illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher, and I Am Not a Copycat!, illustrated by Simon Rickerty. Ann has lived in many places, from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Frankfurt, Germany. She currently lives in Virginia with her family. Learn more at www.annbonwill.com.

Meet the Illustrator:

Kayla Harren is a graduate of the School of Visual Arts in New York City with a BFA in illustration. She’s an award-winning illustrator of multiple picture books, including A Boy Like You, written by Frank Murphy, and The Boy Who Grew a Forest, written by Sophia Gholz, among other titles. Her work has been featured in the Society of Illustrators, American Illustration, Communication Arts, and 3x3 Magazine, and she won the Highlights for Children Pewter Plate Award. She lives in Minnesota with her family. Learn more at www.kaylaharren.com.

Facebook: Kayla Harren Illustrator

Instagram: @kaylaharren