GETTIN' THROUGH THURSDAY

André hates Thursdays. It's the day before his mother's payday; it's the day when things are tightest in their household and everything seems to run out. But hard-working, resourceful Mama doesn't let André and his siblings sulk or go without for long. When the toothpaste is gone, she tells André's older brother, Davis, to use baking soda. When sister Shawna needs a bandana for the dress rehearsal of a play, Mama suggests using a towel until payday and the real play. André tries to make it through the week without thinking about Thursdays too much, but when report card time comes, and he knows he's on the honor roll in school, he hopes his mother will remember her promise to "drop everything and throw a royal party" even if it is the wrong day of the week. He is let down when Mama postpones the celebration until payday, but she, Davis, and Shawna come through to give André the party he deserves, first as a "dress rehearsal" and then for real. Cooper's rhythmic writing sings, and the authentic voices of her characters resonate in this heartwarming story about simple but meaningful gestures that link the world of adult worries with more childlike concerns. Bennett depicts the characters' emotions exceptionally and realistically; the facial expressions tell readers all they need to know about the story's subtext. (Picture book. 3-7)