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Shockingly Similar to Young Children
Maybelline Has a Very. Bad. Day. follows a lovable baby goat through a tumble of farmyard mishaps, offering young readers a comforting reminder that even the worst days can end somewhere safe and soft. What inspired you to tell a story about a bad day through the eyes of a young goat?
I’ve had goats for about twelve years, and every spring comes the fun of kidding season. The baby goats are shockingly similar to young children! They must find out about the world; lots of times the hard way! My grandchildren and I started making up one-liners about an adorable little goat named Maybelline, who was in big trouble all of the time, it seemed! I decided to put together the one-liners, arrange them into themes, and voilá, Maybelline Has A Very. Bad. Day. was created.
Maybelline’s troubles are made up of many small disappointments rather than one big problem. Why was that emotional rhythm important to the story?
Most of us, children and adults, have a day now and then when things just don’t go right: Dog ate a sock and had to go the vet, you got a flat tire driving to work, your kid bumped another kid playing soccer and they both have bloody noses, you spilled your coffee all over your shirt, a package was delivered late and all chewed up… By themselves, they are not anything huge, but a day with multiple little things going wrong does usually bring us down. For young children, it’s the same idea of that slow build all day. Maybelline represents a young child, with her day full of mishaps. And like Maybelline, we just want to get into bed at the end of the day and start fresh the next morning.
What do you hope children take away from Maybelline’s mama’s comforting message at the end?
Maybelline learns how to overcome obstacles, be resilient, and count on friends and family to help her. I want young children to see themselves in Maybelline and feel that they can get through a bad day, and to that end, Maybelline’s mama’s message states that explicitly. I hope that the Maybelline’s Antics series are relevant stories that engage children and encourage follow-up discussions, just like they did with my own grandchildren.
Are any of the animals or farm moments in the book inspired by real experiences on a farm?
Absolutely! The original Maybelline was quite a character, and my current Maybelline, who the book character actually looks like, is a huge attention hog! In general, goat kids are adorable…and funny, naughty, capricious, loving, and silly. I have been through almost every iteration of personality of baby goats on my farm over the years and have many more tales to tell.
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From the moment she wakes up missing her sick friend Ellie, one mishap follows another. Whether it’s getting bonked by grumpy Aunt Ivy, pricked by thorns, or tumbling in the mud, for poor Maybelline, nothing is going right for her. Will this rotten day ever end?
But snuggled safely with her mama that night, Maybelline discovers an important truth: bad days happen, but they don’t last forever.
Young children will understand exactly how Maybelline feels. In this social-emotional journey, Maybelline learns how to overcome obstacles, navigate big feelings, and count on friends and family to help her.
Perfect for ages 3-6.
Maybelline Has A Very. Bad. Day.
Maybelline Has a Very. Bad. Day. follows a playful young goat on The Finca as one small disappointment turns into a whole tumble of troubles. Maybelline misses Ellie, the girl who usually brushes her, then gets bonked for sneaking hay, pricked by blackberry thorns, stuck in a fence, blamed for spilling snacks, startled by a vet shot, nipped along by the herding dog, and finally soaked in the rain. By bedtime, though, she’s safe in the barn with her mama, who gently reminds her that bad days happen, but they don’t last.
What I liked most about this book is how honest it feels about a child’s emotional world, even though the main character is a baby goat. Maybelline’s bad day isn’t one grand dramatic event. It’s the kind of day made of little stings, embarrassments, unmet wants, and bruised feelings. Some children’s books rush too quickly toward the lesson, but this one lets Maybelline actually have the hard day first. The writing is simple and accessible, with a nice rhythm in the repeated “bad day” feeling, and I appreciated that the comfort at the end doesn’t erase what happened. It just gives her somewhere soft to land.
The artwork brings a lot of the tenderness. Olena Kharkovenko’s illustrations have that gentle farm-life warmth I always enjoy in picture books, with soft fields, expressive animals, muddy little mishaps, and cozy barn scenes that make the world feel safe even when Maybelline is having a rough time. I especially liked the contrast between the wide, cheerful pasture scenes and the quieter images of Maybelline looking droopy or overwhelmed. The book also has a sweet amount of visual detail for children to notice, from the goats’ personalities to the little ladybugs and flowers tucked into the pages.
I found this to be a warm and reassuring children’s book with a kind heart and a very relatable emotional core. It’s funny in places, tender in others, and quietly wise about the way children process frustration, discomfort, and disappointment. The concluding thought lands gently: today may have been awful, but tomorrow still gets to be new. I’d recommend this book for preschool and early elementary children, especially kids who love animals, farm stories, or need a comforting read after one of those days when everything seems to go wrong.
Pages: 32 | ASIN: B0H1T5J8DL
