Because of Thursday

by Patricia Polacco, Patricia Polacco (Illustrator)

Overview

From critically acclaimed author Patricia Polacco comes a heartwarming story about a girl named Annie, her lucky Thursdays, and a special cat who comes into her life just in time to make everything right.

Thursdays have always been lucky for Annie Fetlock. She was born on a Thursday. She won her first cooking contest at the age of eight on a Thursday. She met the love of her life, Mario, on a Thursday. They were married on a bright Thursday afternoon and their two children were both born on a Thursday. Annie is known far and wide for her Poke Pasta Salad and has the most popular restaurant for miles around.

When Mario suddenly passes away, Annie’s joy and love of cooking disappears. Before too long, a little kitty appears and Annie takes the kitty in, and, of course, calls it Thursday. Annie is back making Poke Salad in no time. Thursday the cat is known for amazing twirls and tricks and one day his twirls land him in Annie’s draining rigatoni, causing the pot of hot oil, garlic, and peppers to spill into the pasta! Then the entire container of Parmesan cheese overturned into the mix. The customers were horrified until they noticed that what looked like a big mess had the most amazing aroma and turned out to be the most delicious pasta dish ever created! Ugly Pasta—the dish that would make Annie famous for miles around—was born. And of course it was a Thursday!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781481421409
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
Publication date:	10/18/2016
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	101,121
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 11.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Patricia Polacco belongs to a family of storytellers, poets, farmers, teachers, and artists. They came from many parts of the world, but mainly Russia. She grew up to be an illustrator, a designer, and creator of many beloved children’s books, including The Keeping Quilt, The Blessing Cup, Fiona’s Lace, The Trees of the Dancing Goats, Babushka’s Doll, and My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother. She lives in Union City, Michigan. Visit her at PatriciaPolacco.com and follow her on Facebook.

Patricia Polacco belongs to a family of storytellers, poets, farmers, teachers, and artists. They came from many parts of the world, but mainly Russia. She grew up to be an illustrator, a designer, and creator of many beloved children’s books, including The Keeping Quilt, The Blessing Cup, Fiona’s Lace, The Trees of the Dancing Goats, Babushka’s Doll, and My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother. She lives in Union City, Michigan. Visit her at PatriciaPolacco.com and follow her on Facebook.

Editorial Reviews

08/15/2016
Polacco (The Keeping Quilt) returns with a scattered story of longtime loves and new beginnings. Good things always come to Annie on Thursdays; it was on that day that she met her husband, gave birth to her sons, and opened a diner renowned for its Poke Salad (“the more you poked at it, the more scrumptious, succulent, delectable surprises you’d find”). Polacco’s fluid illustrations affectingly evoke the passage of time as Annie ages and sinks into sadness after her husband dies, until—on a Thursday—a kitten appears on her porch. Named Thursday, the energetic cat reignites Annie’s passion for cooking, and she reopens her restaurant. Thursday entertains diners with his acrobatics until a miscalculated leap sends ingredients flying into a pasta pot, creating “an oily, garlicky mess” that becomes a culinary rage thanks to a visit from a Guy Fieri look-alike. This odd tale concludes with a pile-on of too-good-to-be-true events and a recipe for Annie’s “Ugly Pasta.” Polacco describes it as “unforgettable,” which seems likely given that it calls for a cup of red pepper flakes and four cups of chopped garlic per pound of pasta. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

10/01/2016
Gr 2–4—Each of Annie's most important milestones have happened on a Thursday, including her wedding and the opening of a diner with her husband, Mario. The diner quickly becomes famous for Annie's signature dish, a pasta salad she christens Poke Salad, invented, unsurprisingly, on a Thursday. It is notably not a Thursday when, many years later, Annie loses her dear husband and with him her zeal for Poke Salad, feeding the community, and the diner. Without Mario or the diner, Annie retreats into a solitary, heartbroken life—until the Thursday she discovers an abandoned kitten on her porch. The cat, whom Annie names Thursday, becomes her constant companion and reinvigorates her culinary spirit. Before long, Annie and the townsfolk reopen the diner, which features Annie's Poke Salad and a new feline entertainer. After an accident in the kitchen results in a terrifically ugly but wonderfully aromatic pasta dish, a surprise guest to the diner puts Annie and her new "Ugly Pasta" on the map. Rendered in colored pencil and acetone markers in Polacco's signature style, the illustrations are bold and colorful and teem with activity. However, what begins as a sweet and heartfelt family tale takes an unexpected and outlandish turn with the introduction of a Guy Fieri-esque TV host. Featured is a photo of the author with her cat, Thursday, who inspired the story, as well as Polacco's own recipe for Ugly Pasta. VERDICT Less compelling than Polacco's typical autobiographical or historical fare, this lighthearted selection should still please her most dedicated fans.—Lauren Strohecker, McKinley Elementary School, Elkins Park, PA

School Library Journal

2016-07-02
A grieving widow finds a new lease on life and unexpected material success after adopting a stray cat.Annie and her husband, Mario, happily run a small diner in a small town. As the white couple grows older, the two continue to enjoy their low-key life—until Mario falls ill and dies. Annie’s subsequent sadness mutes her enthusiasm for cooking. The discovery of a kitten on her porch—the titular Thursday—revitalizes her and, eventually, results in the creation of an entirely new recipe. Through an unlikely series of events that includes a visit from a TV food-show host (recognizable as Guy Fieri but not named), Annie doesn’t just reopen the original diner, she brands her new dish Ugly Pasta, adds national franchises, builds a factory to employ her neighbors, and spends her profits on civic improvements. Polacco’s signature scratchy illustrations, rendered in pencil and marker, are full of energy but can’t overcome the overlong text and meandering plot. Ironically, the caveats she includes with her recipe for Ugly Pasta seem unnecessary—she “hesitated to put this in a children’s book,” but this doesn’t feel like a children’s book at all. Written in honor of her own beloved cat and inspired by a real restaurant, Polacco’s paean to pasta won’t suit the tastes of the intended audience, who would be better served by a second helping of one of her earlier creations. (author’s note) (Picture book. 6-9)

Kirkus Reviews