THE WRONG SIDE OF THE BED

A menagerie of mayhem-causing animals causes Lucy to have a very bad day.

When Lucy wakes up, her hair is mussed, her pajamas are rumpled, and she can find only one bunny slipper. She knows today will be rough. Before she can even eat breakfast, she finds a prickly porcupine in her bed, and an octopus has taken all of the good socks from her sock drawer. Then there’s a bear who smears her with sticky syrup, an elephant who rides on her bicycle’s handlebars, and a hippopotamus who wears all of the tutus at ballet. Each new animal-driven misery adds to the cumulative refrain, ultimately causing Lucy to have a “feathers everywhere, / no toothbrush, / smelly bubbles, / eat your broccoli, / late for ballet, / miss the bus, sticky stain, / mismatched socks, very prickly, / one bunny slipper sort of day.” The repetition can be fun, but there are oddly chosen italicized words throughout the text where emphasis intrudes instead of enhances. In fact, the bouncy refrain on each recto jars against the facing page’s uneven exposition. Raff’s sumi ink washes are muted and flat, though Lucy’s springy hair delights. (Lucy is white.)

While this certainly does not compare to Alexander’s epically bad day, Lucy’s may make some readers smile.