Gettin' Through Thursday

January 1, 1999
Gr 1-3-In this sweetly didactic story about a single-parent African-American family that's dependent upon Mama's Friday paycheck, the children have been promised a royal celebration if any one of the three makes the honor roll. Consequently, third-grader Andre is thrilled when his teacher tells him he is one of two children in his class to receive that honor. But sadly, report-card day is Thursday, when money is very low, and the child is bitterly disappointed that he can't have his party on the day of his triumph. How his mother and siblings surmount this problem makes a satisfying resolution to the plot. Family love and respect for education are stressed in this believable story. The children complain about the things they can't have right away, but Mama always has a practical suggestion to tide them over. The narrative is conversational and colloquial, written in Andre's words. Strong, tender watercolor-and-colored pencil illustrations spread across facing pages and show the boy at school and the family in their modest but comfortable home.-Patricia Pearl Dole, formerly at First Presbyterian School, Martinsville, VA