Once Upon a Workday gave me the same comforting feelings that I found in children's books as a kid. This will be a great book to return to when I need some selfcare and encouragement. It reminds me that I don't walk alone with the hardness of life, and shares some feelings I've had about my own life and work life.

The illustrations and rhyming verse make this a quick and fun book to read. I plan to recommend to all my friends so that they can find comfort with Once Upon a Workday as I did.

I enjoyed reading this. I like War and Peas and their snappy comics on Instagram so I was delighted with this book. It had poems and graphics on a number of themes all trying to show us that we should take care of ourselves. I enjoyed the artwork and the writing and must get a hard copy for myself.

Copy provided via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

I love this book! This book reminds me of Dr. Seuss books from my childhood. From the fun simplistic art to the rhythm scheme. It immediately makes you feel nostalgic. So that once you really dive into the meaning behind the words it hits you like a ton of bricks. “How silly, how wrong! To think growing up means being serious all day long.” Such a great poem. I think this book beautifully highlights how we do not prioritize our mental health. Life slowly envelopes us in this race to get through the day, that we lose sight of ourselves. Our passion. Even though we can not just quit life, there are some things we can/ should do to prioritize ourselves. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Imagine a mix of Shel Silverstein and Dr. Seuss but writing about the everyday stresses of working adults. That gives you a pretty good idea of this book.

I love War and Peas, so I was excited to see this book. Each poem/story tells a humorous tale of a likely burnt out adult just trying to survive another day. For example, the first one entitled "A Job is a Job" begins: "Another day breaks, you pour out of bed. Not a minute awake and in creeps the dread." I can't think of anyone I know who hasn't experienced.

This books tells stories of the mundane and at times exhausting parts of life in a fun way, with whimsical illustrations attached.

My favorite poem was "Sincerely Yours" which was almost too relatable. It tells the story of someone trying to figure out how to sign a work email. It contains evocative lines such as: "There must be a line that perfectly sums it up. One that shows how I feel but not too much."

I think this is a perfect book to keep in a home office to remind yourself to keep strong while not forgetting to be a little silly.

A little Dr. Suessian book for adults about dealing with anxiety, self doubt, etc. If you like self-help books you may be into this. I was not.

Average read with nice illustrations

I really don't know how to review this book. The book has 6 different stories(?) or discussions and each one deals with a different theme. The verse format suits the book since the discussions are not too long. I am not ok with calling them stories because they deal with a different issue in each one and its very generic in nature and I found them little vague

1) A Job is a Job - Best of the lot. This emphasizes how self care is really important over everything else and you really need to carve out time for self love.
2) Night Party - The after effects of not able to fall asleep in the night. But this is too vague. Doesn't discuss about what can be done if you cannot fall asleep or doesn't talk about what happens the next day
3) The Wandering Heart - It talks about wandering heart (did not make sense to me)
3) The Artist's lament - I really couldn't figure out what the author was going for in this one
4) Sincerely Yours - Talks about different email signatures. This was little informative
5) Clown Life - Life of a clown trying to make others laugh while dealing with his own setbacks. The irony in this fit the title very well

I haven't read the first book by author but this one did not appeal to me a whole lot
My rating 3*

A quirky book of poetry and illustrations that reads like a bed time story - a la Goodnight Moon - for adults. The illustrations are delightful and nostalgic - I caught references to Dr. Seuss and Animaniacs. The pages often flow into each other with a whimsical, dream-like quality. The highlights as far as art were the sleepy poem "Night Party" and "Sincerely Yours", featuring our mouse friend on the cover.

The poetry, however, was very uneven and difficult to read. At times it flowed and was even clever. Other times, the meter was inconsistent and I found myself stumbling every few words. There was one poem where the rhyming pattern changed - it went from AABB to ABAB and back again. It was very confusing and hard to get in to a satisfying rhythm. A part of the satisfaction of reading a book like this - a children's bedtime story - is the soothing nature of the rhyming scheme.

The poetry was at its best when it was reflective and internal.

Hi Again,


I am going to keep this review pretty short. This was a graphic novel that I received an E-ARC for (thank you so much to the publisher for this E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinions). The graphic novel itself was absolutely not what I was expecting (not in a bad way, I just did not think I was going to be reading anything like this)! Essentially this graphic novel could be considered a picture book (but it would definitely be classified as an adult picture book, which I do think should be a genre, sometimes even as an adult reading a cool picture book can just be a nice break from everything in life). The book is written almost like a Dr. Suess book with lots of rhymes and fun images (drawn in a very similar style) but it tells a more adult tale of anxiety, not wanting to go to work, and more. Overall I enjoyed this story and I thought it was fun seeing an adult children’s book (I kind of picture this book being printed in the format of a literal picture book). It was a nice break from my typical reads!

Goodreads Rating: 3.5 Stars (rounded to 3 since Goodreads does not allow half stars).

***Thank you so much again to the publisher for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Once Upon a Workday is a sweet book meant for adults as far as I can tell, but written and illustrated in a children's book format with short, simple rhymes. The topics are so relatable - who hasn't struggled to go to sleep after a stressful day or agonized over the best way to address an email?

This was a short and sweet read and the compassionate self-care advice hits hard, but I can't say the format clicked for me.

I enjoyed this little graphic novel. It very much felt like a Dr Seuss book for adults. I particularly liked the story that spoke about burnout.

"Now a job is a job, and a job must be done.
But a you is a you, and you must also have fun."

I felt like the cadence for some of the lines were a bit off and caused me to lose the rhyme, but that could just be my own error in how I was reading it.

A very quick read but a nice little pick me up for a bad day.

This book is such a pleasure to read. I would open it up everyday after my workday was done and it help soothe anxiety and stress of the entire day. The simple get meaningful illustrations complement the message given in the text with out district from it. Honestly it is a must read for someone who just needs to be told that things can be better again and that your anxiety will pass.

This book is a total riot, diving into the wild world of adulting and work life. It's got this irreverent vibe that keeps you chuckling throughout. My only gripe is that it feels a bit too focused on the corporate scene, which might not resonate with everyone.

But let me tell you, the illustrations are off-the-charts vibrant and goofy, and the rhymes are as playful as a Dr. Seuss book. Personally, I couldn't get enough of "The Wandering Heart" and "Clown Life." They had me in stitches!

The stories were sweet and adorable, a Dr.Seuss like picture book for adults, handling the adult topic of Mental health with the simplicity of a child’s story.

Dr Seuss for the modern day, a wonderful graphic novel to encourage you to get up and do the thing!

The illustrations are delightful and the prose joyful, I absolutely adore this book!

(Perfect Monday morning read and in fact any workday!)

A beautiful, quick read from the creators of the webcoic War and Peas

Thank you to Netgalley, Andrews McMeel Publishing, Elizabeth Pich & Jonathan Kunz for this inspiring ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
These short stories are vibrant and quirky! A perfect mix of heart warming and silly, this is a great read after a particularly stressful week at work.

An irreverent and funny book about the modern adult work life. (I just wish it was a bit less corporate, so it's applicable to a wider range of socioeconomic classes.) The vibrant, goofy illustrations and rhyming, playful lines remind me of Dr. Seuss. I especially enjoyed "The Wandering Heart" and "Clown Life".

A funny book written in rhyme! It was such a funny, relatable, and fast read about adulting and what it feels like to work and not have any time for ourselves. But also about taking care of our body and soul. Rating: 4/5 stars.

This was a short and sweer read.
I enjoyed this quick little fun book.
The art work was simple but it fit the stories nicely. I liked the rhyming in the book too.

Once Upon a Workday is a Seuss-esque book about adult concerns like work, e-mail sign-offs, a brain that's too anxiety mode to let you sleep, the struggles of artists and self-worth... et cetera. The verses and the art was cute but somehow this book was really stressful to me too???? Oops. A cute coffee table book for a workplace (maybe?).

Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for review!

I loved the feel of a kid’s book for adults.

I felt seen and could definitely relate to the woes of working a 9-5 that is not in my field of interest.

The imagery, the rhyming, the dread… I enjoyed this book.

I would def purchase this for my adult friends. And let my preteen read this book too… so he can lean more towards his passions and live life that way.


I would def recommend this book. It’s a laugh and a sigh all at the same time.


I volunteered to read this ARC through NetGalley