Rita and Ralph's Rotten Day

December 9, 2019
The classic hand game “Mr. Wiggle and Mr. Waggle” is recast here with two best friends who live “in two little houses, on two little hills.” To reach their favorite playing spot, an apple tree at the midpoint between their houses, each must travel “down the hill, and up the hill, and down the hill, and up the hill”—a rolling geography underscored by the book’s horizontal format and undulating typography. One day, Ralph bops Rita on the head with a rock and runs away; he belatedly tromps to her house to make amends but can only muster a grumpy, shouted apology. A fuming Rita then tromps to Ralph’s house and retaliates with a demand (“I WANT MY PINECONE BACK!”). In each instance, the hilly terrain gives the kids plenty of opportunity to build up a full steam of guilty anger and resentment. But a new day dawns, sincere regrets are expressed (“I’m sorry!” “I’m sorrier!”), and the fun—via zombie tag and daisy chains—resumes. Oswald’s (The Sad Little Fact) jaunty style and digital gouache watercolor textures give the pictures a lighthearted feel, while bouncy text by Deedy (The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet!) has just enough repetition to be compelling. Ages 4–8.

November 15, 2019
Anger can sometimes cause ridiculous mishaps. Rita and Ralph live some distance from each other, with many hills between their two homes. Every day they travel "down the hill, and up the hill, and down the hill, and up the hill," until they meet at the apple tree in the middle, where they high-five each other before playing. One day, they decide to play a new game called Sticks and Stones. Rita ends up with a painful lump on her head, and they both run away. Ralph realizes that he has hurt his best friend. He needs to apologize. So he travels the entire distance to her house: "down the hill, and up the hill, and down the hill...aaaaand up the hill." By that time, he is cranky and doesn't sound very sorry while apologizing. He runs all the way home. Rita realizes she may have been a bit rash, so (including all of those hills, which will be a gas in storytime) she goes to apologize to Ralph. But again, it doesn't quite work. "It has been a rotten day." Luckily, the next one is much better! The horizontal trim brilliantly showcases Oswald's expansive art and the distance between the two chums while the typography is set so it emulates the hilly path. Deedy's author's note acknowledges inspiration from the popular hand game "Mr. Wiggle and Mr. Waggle." Rita and Ralph both have brown skin and dark hair. Humorous repetition lightens the quarrel, and readers learn that forgiveness is a process. (Picture book. 3-6)

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March 6, 2020

PreS-Gr 2-Rita and Ralph are best friends who live on different hills in the same neighborhood. Each day they meet halfway and complete their special-and delightful-handshake. One day, Rita gets injured while they are playing. The accident leaves Rita angry and Ralph sorry; but as they both try to make amends, circumstances leave them increasingly grumpy, frustrated, and sad, so each friend goes home. Ultimately they find themselves back in the middle, feeling "sorry" and "sorrier" about what happened the day before. Oswald's colorful, engaging illustrations perfectly reflect Rita and Ralph's ever-changing emotions. The text is simple and flowing, making it a useful resource to discuss feelings with young children. The book concludes with a note from the author about reconciliation, and directions for Rita and Ralph's handshake. VERDICT A great addition about emotions and communication for most libraries.-Shana Shea, Windsor Public Library, CT

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from February 15, 2020
Grades K-3 *Starred Review* Rita and Ralph are best friends and neighbors. Each day, they walk down and up a pair of hills to meet beneath the apple tree between their houses. They have a secret handshake, games they play, and dances they like to do. But one day while playing a new game, Sticks and Stones, Rita gets hurt by Ralph's rock. ?UH-OH.' Ralph froze. This was bad. Really bad. So they ran away . . . Back in their houses, Rita feels angry and Ralph feels sorry. The incident morphs into a fight that leaves both friends sad and sleepless. The next day they run up and down their hills, meeting in the middle with earnest apologies. Oswald's illustrations take full advantage of this book's elongated format, accentuating the distance between the friends' houses, especially when each child makes the entire journey (down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up) alone. The long trip impacts their moods, with contrite Ralph growing grumpy and remorseful Rita relapsing into anger. Deedy's realistic portrait of the ups and downs of friendship will strike a familiar chord with young readers. This well-crafted story is an excellent choice for those seeking books featuring conflict-resolution to help children learn to manage their emotions and build healthy friendships and boundaries.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2020
Rita and Ralph are best friends. Each day they meet at the apple tree midway between their houses and play games together. One day the two children try a new game ("Sticks and Stones") in which more than feelings (accidentally) get hurt. After the two return to their respective homes in a huff, Ralph decides to apologize and ventures back out to Rita's house. Going all that way, though, renders him a "smidge grumpy," and his apology comes out as less than heartfelt. Rita likewise makes the long trip, but all that time to think makes her madder than before. Both Rita and Ralph spend the rest of the day--and a sleepless night--sad and mad. Thankfully, a new day brings a new chance for true apologies. The book's broad landscape orientation shows the lengths ("down the hill, and up the hill, and down the hill, and up the hill, and down the hill, and up the hill, and down the hill, aaaaand up the hill") the two friends must go to get to each other's houses, until they can once again meet in the middle--in more ways than one. Playfully curved text follows the children's paths, and each sweeping view of the exhausting trek gives a glimpse into the passage of time and the shifting details of their surroundings. Oswald's digital illustrations fill the pages with swaths of color, energetic lines, and many emotive eyebrows, all of which work to capture the ups and downs of one rotten day. Adapted from the interactive story "Mr. Wiggle and Mr. Waggle," Deedy's narrative is made to be read aloud. A simple, silly, and satisfying picture book that shows just how far we'll go for our friends.

(Copyright 2020 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

May 1, 2020
Rita and Ralph are best friends. Each day they meet at the apple tree midway between their houses and play games together. One day the two children try a new game ("Sticks and Stones") in which more than feelings (accidentally) get hurt. After the two return to their respective homes in a huff, Ralph decides to apologize and ventures back out to Rita's house. Going all that way, though, renders him a "smidge grumpy," and his apology comes out as less than heartfelt. Rita likewise makes the long trip, but all that time to think makes her madder than before. Both Rita and Ralph spend the rest of the day-and a sleepless night-sad and mad. Thankfully, a new day brings a new chance for true apologies. The book's broad landscape orientation shows the lengths ("down the hill, and up the hill, and down the hill, and up the hill, and down the hill, and up the hill, and down the hill, aaaaand up the hill") the two friends must go to get to each other's houses, until they can once again meet in the middle-in more ways than one. Playfully curved text follows the children's paths, and each sweeping view of the exhausting trek gives a glimpse into the passage of time and the shifting details of their surroundings. Oswald's digital illustrations fill the pages with swaths of color, energetic lines, and many emotive eyebrows, all of which work to capture the ups and downs of one rotten day. Adapted from the interactive story "Mr. Wiggle and Mr. Waggle," Deedy's narrative is made to be read aloud. A simple, silly, and satisfying picture book that shows just how far we'll go for our friends. Grace McKinney

(Copyright 2020 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)