The Day I Ran Away
-
- $12.99
Publisher Description
Mom's Choice Award Gold Winner 2017
While Dad tucks her in, a little girl named Grace calmly recounts her day—which was anything but calm. She had a tantrum (because of some injustices involving a purple shirt and breakfast cereal) and was banished to her bedroom before deciding to run away. Understanding that kids have ups and downs, Grace's mom wisely gave her daughter the space and time she needed to reach her own decision to return home—to open arms.
The Day I Ran Away amusingly captures Grace's mutable moods and childlike logic. Warm, humorous digital paintings offer fun details to keep little listeners busy. Kids can compare the bedtime and daytime scenes and try to figure out how Grace got that purple paw-print on her cheek—and when it got washed away. They can mimic Grace's facial expressions or copy her poses for some soothing bedtime yoga. And of course, they can create a safe place to run away to when the injustices of Pre-K existence become too much to bear. A pop-up tent in the yard and the haven beneath the dining room table are excellent run-away destinations, as long as you come home for dinner.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this somewhat flat take on a familiar theme, a redheaded girl named Grace recounts to her father how her disastrous morning led her to "run away" from home. Left-hand pages feature the girl's ongoing conversation with her father at bedtime, while the indignities of her day are pictured at right. Among them: Grace's purple shirt is in the wash, the family is out of her favorite cereal, and her subsequent tantrum lands her in time-out. Niner (I Can't Stop!) tells the story entirely through dialogue, with color-coded fonts helping readers track who's speaking. Grace's frustration eventually leads her to pack up her wagon and head outdoors, and although she doesn't get far (" Where did you go?' Nowhere. I remembered something.' What did you remember?' I'm not allowed to cross the street!' "), her patient mother comes up with a solution that respects Grace's need for a little space and independence. Ongaro creates cheery scenes of domestic life, but while they successfully establish the family's closeness, they get repetitive, particularly the many father-daughter scenes set in Grace's bedroom . Ages 5 7.
