The Bad Mood and the Stick

The bad mood and the stick both start with a little girl who is disappointed that she doesn’t have ice cream. The girl uses the stick to poke her brother, which puts her in a good mood and her mother in a bad mood. The story follows the bad mood as it moves from character to character. We also follow the stick as it cheers people up in unusual ways.

I expected a quirky book from Lemony Snicket, and I was not disappointed. The pictures are fun, with animals hiding in many of them. I like that the bad mood is represented by a colorful cloud.

I read this book to my nine-year-old when he was in a bad mood, and it immediately cheered him up. The book isn’t preachy. A cat holds on to the bad mood for quite a while. Another character refuses the bad mood. The bad mood helps bring about something happy. The author tells us that the bad mood has been everywhere, and even the reader has had it. I love how it’s a simple stick that cheers so many people up because kids know a stick can be anything with a little imagination.

This book could be a great discussion-starter with kids of all ages about their moods and about what affects them.