NATIONAL REGULAR AVERAGE ORDINARY DAY

A humorous look at problem-solving and monotony.

Peter, a tot with white skin and a mop of scribbly, brown hair, is bored. Usually he has fun with his friend Devin (who’s also white), but lately everything they do has gotten stale. At one point, he breaks: “Enough!…This is SUPER BORING! I’m out of HERE!” He stomps home and tries to think of other things he can do that would be more fun. He decides to celebrate a different holiday every day. He even devises his own rating system. There is the nine-star National Ice-Cream Sandwich Day and National Lighthouse Day (a paltry two). National Underwear Day (in which underwear is worn—all over) is “an unexpected 8 stars.” But when he wakes up one morning to find out there is “NO HOLIDAY,” he must rethink his plan. What if he makes up a holiday instead? National Ride Your Bike With No Hands Day starts strong but doesn’t go well (nor as badly as it might have). Neither does combining National Squirrel Appreciation Day with National Bubble Bath Day (although the squirrels have a blast). Perhaps a day can just be ordinary, and that can be fun too. Bakos’ playful illustrations amp up the silliness of this very child-friendly premise. Readers may note that the passage of time seems off, however. When he reunites with Devin, an offhand apology, “Sorry about how I acted the other day,” seems incongruent with how many holidays he must have celebrated.

Droll and decidedly un-ordinary.