Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day Resources
Movies
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A wonderful, lovable, so good, very fun movie all about the horrible things that happen to Alexander. They made a few changes to adapt it to the big screen, and even extended the trauma to the bad days of Alexander's parents and siblings, too.
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Alexander saw its first adaptation as a stage production at the Kennedy Center in New York in 2000-2001, leading to a national tour and many a community theater version.
Articles and Interviews
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Back in the day, the Kennedy Center in New York, NY turned Alexander into a stage production musical. This revitalized interest in the book and prompted Viorst to talk about it's creation a bit more. Here's what she said: "I thought that the notion of 'a bad day,' could serve for him, and for all kids, as it does for adults, a 'container' function, suggesting that this day—this bad news—would (honest and truly!) come to an end."
Also: "I went through the book episode by episode as the narrator told his sad story. I wanted to keep that narration virtually word for word, which I did, while fleshing out the events Alexander describes. And so I gave dialogue to his brothers, parents, friends, etc., and put in a lot of dramatic action, showing as well as telling Alexander's story."
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A whole generation after the Alexander books first surfaced—with Alexander himself a father of three—Viorst reflects on how parenting is different in the 21st century.
Videos
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Judith Viorst writes for everyone: her children's books please grown-ups, too. But she also writes poetry about entering old age and essays about contemporary politics. Check out some more of her view points in this interview.
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HBO produced this cartoon version. It starts with a happy-go-lucky song...but we all know that doesn't last long.