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Prather’s Pick: ‘Someday is Not a Day of the Week’ offers lessons for children, parents

Diane Prather/For Craig Press
Prather's Picks

Though this week’s picture book is intended for children, there’s a message for parents, too.

“Someday Is Not a Day of the Week” was written by Denise Brennan-Nelson and illustrated by Kevin O’Malley. It is published by Sleeping Bear Press (2005).

The lead character in this story is a young beaver named Max. Things get started as Max and Momma are sitting at the kitchen table together one morning. Max is eating blueberry waffles, and Momma is doing what lots of human mothers might be doing in the morning — filling out a “to do list.”

Momma writes laundry, dry cleaning, food shopping, sink repair, and weed on the list, but she isn’t finished.

Max would like to add things to Momma’s list, too, but he suggests only one. Max would like to go to the fair.

Momma sighs, because she has a lot to do and tells Max, “Someday, Max, but not today.”

Then, the telephone rings. It’s Grandpa. Max is anxious to see Grandpa. He would like to show his grandpa his frog (which is enormous) and his baseball trophy and tell him about his missing tooth. Besides, the fish are biting.

But Grandpa has the same answer as Momma. He and Grandma have errands to run.

“We’ll go fishing someday, Max, but not today.”

Then, Daddy comes into the kitchen. Boy, Max wishes his dad didn’t have to go to work. Daddy promises that he will take a day, and they can do something special. Max wants Daddy to build him a fort.

However, Daddy says, “Someday, Max, but not today.”

So, Max goes to his room and flops down on his bed, his tail on the pillow and a calendar spread out in front of him. Max goes over the days of the week, but surprisingly, there is no Someday. He goes over the days of the week again. Max is puzzled. Just when is Someday?

Suddenly, he hears a chorus of voices saying,” Someday is not a day of the week.”

The voices have advice for Max, namely, to not wait for Someday. However, the days of the week say they are there to help him. So, in the end, Max takes things into his own hands (paws).

The message for parents and grandparents is about taking time for those they love the most.

“Someday Is Not a Day of the Week” costs $15.95 in hardcover, but you can probably find the book in softcover, too. The book can be found in the children’s room at the Craig branch of the Moffat County Libraries.


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