A little girl is lonely, devastated about the fact that she cannot go to school and be with her friends due to her recently broken arm and new cast. Her father, dad of the year in my book, knows how worried she is about missing out on something, and decides that they will do all the things she would do at school right there at home. From building pyramids with blocks, singing alphabet songs, writing and coloring with crayons, and more, the little girl has the time of her life with her dad, all right there at home. In the end, she is surprised when her friends all come together via modern technology right there on her living room screen, as well as in person, and let her know how much they miss her. The little girl realizes that her friends were with her in spirit the entire time. This one is the little one’s version of a book that teaches us that we are never truly alone, and that it is never good to let FOMO get the best of us. Perfect for the sad little ones that are heartbroken when they can’t go to school, for any reason, and a great reminder that learning is possible everywhere.

Author Deborah November is an accomplished child therapist, which makes her book a powerful story written from an expert's perspective. A Not So Lonely Day dives into the concepts of loneliness and isolation in young children. Especially in the era of the pandemic, this is a relatable way to diswcuss these big feelings that young children may not quite understand in a way that they can explain. This book allows parents to open up a dialogue and show children how to name and discuss their feelings openly.

Thea has a broken arm and must spend a few days home from school. She misses her friends and feels lonley at home, not understanding why she can't go be with everyone and why she has to be by herself. Her dad comes up with an idea to have school at home, going through all the normal activities she would do during a day at school, but at home instead. From snacks to naps, her Dad tries to bring a sense of normalcy to a challenging time. My favorite part was how her father tried to keep that sense of routine and normalcy, which can be incredibly important to children during times of great change. I felt that was a great lesson for parents to take from the book.

This story was both entertaining and educational, which can be a tricky balance to maintain in a children’s book, and I will be suggesting it to teachers whenever possible. Incorporating social-emotional skills and topics such as this into children's picture books is a tried and true way to teach an important life skill in a way that is fun. This would be an amazing addition for classroom libraries, counselling offices and more.

In a pandemic context defined by a certain degree of desocialisation for school kids, finding ways to cope with isolation is important. In this book about a little girl homebound due to a broken bone, young readers will find a few good ideas for their emotional development. Personally, I found the illustrations too simplistic and it was a bit annoying to see the words For Review plastered all over each page.

I am always looking for new books for my niece and this one would be a perfect one for her.

I really like the illustrations and how the words have something behind them to make them easier to read.

The story was really beautiful

So cute! The 5 year old that I nanny would love this book. I appreciated the very casual diversity and representation. The tips at the end for emotional development and what grown-ups can do to help their kiddos were great.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book! Below is my honest review.

Summary of plot:
Thea has to stay home because she has a broken arm. Her dad stays at home to keep her company after she expresses concerns that her friends will forget her. They do cute activities together like singing and drawing.

Pros about the book:
✔️ Father and daughter relationship
✔️ Cute and simple drawings
✔️ Teaches children that it's okay to be not okay
✔️ Diverse characters

Cons about the book:
❌ None

Would I recommend this book? Sure.

This book is a sweet tale that tells the story of a little girl who misses a day of school and worries that she’ll be missing out on the fun and that her friends will forget her.
Instead of dismissing her feelings, her dad engages with her to help make her day feel more normal and help her regulate her big feelings, which is an excellent model for parents who have kids who struggle with fear of missing out and fear of isolation.
The page of resources at the end are such a nice touch as well!

The concept of this book is simple and necessary, how to help feel better when you worry you could be forgotten at school. At the young age this books is intended for, friendships are so strongly rooted in whoever is there physically and so missing out on any classroom time can feel like your friends will move on without you. My daughter is 6, and we read it together to open a discussion on it.

However, something was just missing to tie it all together. I felt like there was minimal discussion between the father and child on it being okay to be sad, how to feel better, why her friends wont forget her, etc. I enjoyed how they discussed their friends and cultural relevance tied to the activities that reminded her of them, and it was overall a sweet book. I feel like the book is missing a tad bit more heart.

My daughter said, "The story is nice, I like the ideas they gave for things you can do when you're home! But it would still be lonely".

Overall, a nice book to open a basic conversation on missing out but doesn't really touch on the loneliness aspect.

A sweet book to help children understand their feelings are normal and valid. I will definitely be adding this to my counseling library.

A Not So Lonely Day by Deborah November is a very cute book about the little girl staying home from school with school with a broken arm and how her father makes her feel better about missing school by doing things like a puppet show. Feelings are very important especially in our days of Covid.

A nice, easy read that will be relatable to young children. Readers learn the important of accepting one’s own and acknowledging other’s feelings. Some multicultural connections are also made to provide for more learning. Written in simple language, this book lends itself to read-aloud and discussion during and afterward.

Thea is at home because of her broken arm and is worried about missing school and friends. Her dad sets up a series of fun activities to ensure Thea feels happy and doesn’t miss her friends. He even plans a way for her to meet her friends. The book is written in collaboration with a child therapist to ‘explore the CASEL standards of social-emotional development and the concepts of loneliness and isolation in young children’.
The topic has been handled well without sharing too much information. The illustrations are cute and lively, with a color scheme to cheer up little ones. Thea’s friends are all unique and different- a cool way to present inclusivity.
There’s a note at the end about the importance of socialization and how parents can ensure children don’t feel lonely or depressed. Naturally, all activities mentioned in the book are not feasible, but it is an example of parents can help kids feel better and understand their emotions.
To sum up, A Not So Lonely Day is an engaging helpful book for kids and adults.
I received an ARC from NetGalley, Baker & Taylor, and Paw Prints Publishing and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Thank you so much to Baker and Taylor / Paw Prints Publishing and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

Little Thea breaks her arm and has to stay off school, but she feels sad missing the day, missing her friends, leaving her mind to overthink what if she misses something important, what if her friends forget her and all the school she will miss by being off. Her dad gives her the space to have the day as though she was still at school.

I loved that her dad lead her in the play to get her mind occupied from her fears and what ifs by missing school. She got to still have a fun day with her dad and her dog and participate in the activities she would do at school. It was so sweet as it helped ease her mind for long lengths of time.

This book is a great guide and a cute read at the same time to help if a child is struggling to adjust or to a change that they have to make due to an illness. It will help them understand that even though things change temporally it will get easier and you can still do most of the things you would normally do, but differently.

The illustrations in this were also really cute. I also liked that whilst she was playing with her dad she got a chance to share with him all about her friends so she felt like they were close by the whole day. It was a cute story.

This book focuses on a little girls day at home. Finding fun and peace at home with her dad. Despite feeling left out of the fun with her friends she tries to make her own!

A Book With a Purpose that is just about entertaining enough to be taken down from the shelf for pleasure. It features a young girl frightened of not going to school – there's the FOMO aspect, and the fact that because she's housebound with a broken arm she's worried her friends will start to forget about her. Needless to say they don't, but before that there is much messy activity with her father, handily on point with tasks, creativity and fun times. This, then, is a lesson for certain specific children in certain, specific circumstances that just because they're stuck at home on a school day the world will carry on as before. This, then, is a book that – ironies of ironies – will be quite handy for a school to keep a copy of...

Thank you to NetGalley and Baker & Taylor, Paw Prints Publishing for the digital copy of this book. This book is one girls day. Her situation is she has broken her arm and now she will be missing school for a few days. Her dad takes the day to spend with her. They spend time doing all sorts of thing together like playing games. She explores her feeling through spending time with her dad then telling her family about her adventurous day when they get home.

I appreciate the concept here and love the back matter regarding tips for positive emotional development. Something was missing for me here but this book is a great start to a conversation about health emotions with your children.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC. All opinions are my own.

This is a book about how a little girl injures her arm and she is unable to attend school. The little girl thought she was going to have a boring and lonely day however, things change when her dad stays home with her and does a series of different activities with her. This book illustrates a great bond between a girl and her father.

a very cute book ! I loved the character of Thea, she was adorable, and her relation with her father made me smile through the whole book !

The books coming from Baker and Taylor’s new publishing press are fun, inclusive books that focus on social emotional learnings