All I want to do on a rainy day like today is play my game, but my mom says it’s a waste of time. The game makes my mom crazy. Angry.

She takes it away.

I take it back.

I wish Dad had come with us on this rainy, gray weekend.

Without my game, nothing is fun.

On the other hand, maybe I’m wrong about that. . . . 

All I want to do on a rainy day like today is play my game, but my mom says it's a waste of time. The game makes my mom crazy. Angry.

She takes it away.

I take it back.

I wish Dad had come with us on this rainy, gray weekend.

Without my game, nothing is fun.

On the other hand, maybe I'm wrong about that. . . . 

Sent outside on a rainy day by a mom who tries to pry him away from his video games, a little boy is dismayed when his handheld game falls into the pond before encounters with giant snails, wet mushrooms and other elements awaken him to the sensory aspects of nature. 30,000 first printing. - (Baker & Taylor)

Sent outside by their mother on a rainy day, a child is dismayed when their handheld game falls into the pond before they encounter giant snails, wet mushrooms, and other elements that awaken them to the sensory aspects of nature. - (Baker & Taylor)

Give the gift of a magical do-nothing day! This picture book is an excellent choice to share during homeschooling because it speaks to boredom from being stuck inside and staring at your computer, phone, or video game. There's so much to notice in the world, if we can un-plug long enough.

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 and Bank Street College of Education Best Children's 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.

Give the gift of a magical do-nothing day! There's so much to notice in the world, if we can un-plug long enough.

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 and Bank Street College of Education Best Children's 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.

Kirkus Reviews

Depressed by another rainy weekend in the country cabin, a shaggy-haired, bespectacled, white child wallows on the sofa, numbing malaise with a hand-held video game. Mom finally turns the kid out-of-doors, but the gaming device is stealthily pocketed on the way. The narrator (whose gender remains ambiguous) holds the game "tightly," hoping "it would protect me from this boring, wet place." A stumble launches it into icy waters and the child into the forest without technological armor. Marvelously murky illustrations transmit the myriad textures, shapes, and density of the natural world under a mist of rain. Linear and circular forms abut one another, edging and overlapping, placing readers amid smooth stones, coned mushroom caps, button-y buds, and round leaves as well as driving rain, spiky branches, and prickly pine needles. The child's phosphorescent blaze orange coat glows amid the mossy greens of the forest. Alemagna's captivating artwork magnifies the forest's magic, wh ile her language, via Davis' translation, offers an authentic pre-adolescent voice ("This COULD NOT be happening to me!") that's eventually left almost breathless by nature: "I felt a sense there was something special close by. That I was surrounded." The child's ultimate decision to keep her outdoor awakening private once home will resonate with young people just making their own discoveries and finding them precious. An effective argument for unplugged exploration, submitted through startlingly beautiful words and pictures. (Picture book. 6-12) Copyright Kirkus 2017 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.