Good News, Bad News
By Jeff Mack
The Story
A picnic goes sideways when rain and stormy winds send an umbrella (and Mouse!) flying into a tree — one friend calls it good news, the other bad, all the way through.
Why It's Special
For the kid who's either a total optimist or a champion worrier, this book hands both of them a character to root for on every page.
- Big idea: The same event can look completely different depending on who's looking at it — and that's okay.
- Vibes: Fast, silly, and full of back-and-forth energy, with just four words carrying the whole story.
Perfect For Kids Who
- love rhythmic, repetitive text they can predict and shout along with
- enjoy slapstick mishaps and over-the-top illustrations
- are working on seeing a situation from someone else's point of view
- like to guess what happens next on each page turn
Ask Your Little Reader
- Story & problem-solving: What happened when the wind blew the umbrella away — and what would you have done next?
- Feelings & empathy: Why do you think Rabbit sees the good news while Mouse sees the bad news in the very same moment?
- Real-life connection: Can you think of a time something went wrong but there was also a good side to it?
- Imagination: If you were on this picnic, would you be more like Rabbit or more like Mouse?
- Language & wordplay: The whole story is told with just a few words — can you tell what's happening just by looking at the pictures?
