A Day Off School

Time at home with “the sniffles” yields wild imaginings for the familiar-feeling child at the heart of Jeffers and Waldron’s madcap account. After Herbie’s parents say he can stay home from school, the excited child enjoys time in bed, breakfast in a couch fort, video games, and more, all before lunch. Wry, knowing prose captures the predictable emergence of boredom: “Although Herbie tried NOT to, he soon thought of school. He was mildly interested in the work he was avoiding.” Soon, the protagonist expands upon what he may be missing, shifting rapidly from mundane possibilities (extra playtime, a loose pet) to more far-fetched alternatives that leave him yearning to return (a pirate invasion, aliens landing). Loosely inked mixed-media illustrations amplify the child’s flights of fancy with enlivening coloration. The restorative power of boredom cures all in this audacious tale. Background characters are depicted with various skin tones. Ages 4–8. (July)