Parker Plum and the Rotten Egg Thoughts is a picture book for older readers who don’t always see on the brighter side of things. Pavicnic’s story begins when Parker wakes up and finds a little green egg on his pillow. His day gets off on the wrong foot when his mother serves oatmeal instead of waffles. He misses the bus, does poorly on a quiz, and is moved behind “the stinky kid.” Each time he mentally complains about his day, the egg grows larger. The school’s lunch lady, Mrs. Butterbott, thankfully knows what to do before the rotten egg can explode and helps Parker put the day’s events into perspective.

The illustrations are colored pencil style images that tell the story nicely. Mrs. Butterbott’s advice to ask yourself “can I change this” and “are there any good parts hidden in the bad” whenever something disappointing happens is great advice that can be expanded to anytime something generally bad happens. Putting things into perspective always helps.

I read this book with our two grade school aged children. This book was super engaging and our younger child especially enjoyed seeing the egg grow as Parker's negative thoughts increased throughout his day. It was a great way to depict how negativity can grow and grow and eventually it feels like it is just taking over your day.

Mrs. Butterbott came to help and her advice was simple yet effective. She shared with Parker and his friends that you can't always change what happened but you could "scramble away" your negative thoughts by asking yourself two questions...

"Can I change this?"

"Are there any good parts hidden in the bad?"

While these are simple questions they are very powerful reminders for children (and adults) when they are facing challenges or obstacles that they might not have anticipated or wanted. We may not be able to control what always happens during our day but we do have the choice of how we react.

"Parker had learned that disappointing things happen sometimes. But how he chose to think about them made a huge difference."

A big thank you to NetGalley and Boys Town Press for a copy of this book.

I would like to begin by thanking NetGalley and Boys Town Press for an advanced digital copy of this amazing book in exchange for my honest review.
"Parker Plum and the Rotten Egg Thoughts", by Billie Pavicic, is a gem. This book is sure to be a classic for education, youth groups, counseling, and individuals seeking individual growth.
Peter Plum awakens to a brand new day and finds a mysterious item on his pillow. He does not put much thought into this item but he does put a lot of effort into deciding that his day was doomed from the start. After a series of "negative events", Peter began noticing that his peculiar find is changing, and not for the better. Things seem to quickly spin out of control when help, the lunch lady Mrs. Butterbott, shares a valuable technique to turn his misfortune around.
This book should be on every shelf, especially young children. This book can give them a strong foundation in self awareness and control. Please do get this book for any parent, teacher, counselor, kid, or grandkid you may encounter. It will bless their lives.