An Ordinary School Day

Carol L. MacKay is a children’s librarian living in Bawlf, Alberta.

This “create a story” concept book revolves around Maya, a young
girl who is convinced that the day is going to be just like any other
day. But as Maya heads to school, unusual things start to
happen—thanks to some calculated interference by the reader. There are
nouns missing in the text, and it’s up to the reader to choose and
insert a reusable sticker with a preprinted word from the back pages.
Some of the stickers have been left blank to allow the reader a greater
degree of creativity by selecting his or her own (probably silly) words.
While the resulting text combinations aren’t uproariously funny, the
book does provide some definite interactive entertainment value.

Cindy Revell, who illustrated the earlier “create a story,” The
Mess, returns with her vibrant acrylic-on-canvas artwork and raises the
interest level of the story significantly.

While this is an inappropriate choice for libraries due to the book’s
many small pieces, it is a suitable buy for home use, especially for
anyone looking for a novel gift idea. Recommended with reservations.