SATURDAY
by Ian Lendler ; illustrated by Serge Bloch
A child welcomes the weekend.
As seen in the cover art, the beleaguered mom and dad are not exactly thrilled when their tot rouses them bright and early in order to squeeze every bit of family time and fun out of Saturday, but they rally and make family breakfast (and family lunch and family dinner) for their two children. Ensuing pages list myriad possibilities for what “Saturday means,” including time for reading books, various pretend-play scenarios, chores, going to birthday parties, or just lounging around with “anyone else who wants to join in.” The pencil-and-digital illustrations enhance the text’s humor with a naïve style that hedges toward emulating a child’s drawing, befitting the first-person narration. The conclusion—that Sunday is a chance to redo all the fun that Saturday offered—is pleasing, but by book’s end readers have a list of events rather than a fully realized story. The family is depicted with universally fair skin and tightly coiled black hair; in one illustration the mom combs the narrator’s hair flat.
TGI-Saturday! (Picture book. 5-7)