SOMETIMES WHEN I’M BORED
by Deborah Serani illustrated by Kyra Teis
A boy copes with boredom with parental guidance in this wise picture book about finding opportunity in quiet moments.
A young child laments that idle time is no fun: “Sometimes when I’m bored, everything bothers me.” But when the narrator talks to Momma, she promises that boredom just means something special is ahead. All the child has to do is find it by exploring natural curiosity, using imagination, building something new, or following a natural sense of wonder. Daddy suggests that feeling lonely is an opportunity to play pretend, draw a picture, or write to a loved one. The boy takes these suggestions to heart, and now, when he’s bored, the world is full of possibility. Serani, a psychologist and professor at Adelphi University, carefully balances the “Ugh!” feeling of childhood boredom with the open door of opportunity that unstructured time presents. Along with crafting the authentic child voice of the narrator and using straightforward text and simple sentence structure to help emergent readers, she also offers adults detailed notes on how to support children through their boredom. Teis’ realistic paintings center a Black family in images filled with familial love. Highlights of blue and purple represent the child’s imagination and sparking creativity.
An insightful, encouraging book full of self-guided remedies.