Are you Bored, Minimoni?

"PreS-Gr 1–Monica, or Minimoni, as she is more affectionately called, has an active weekly schedule full of painting classes, hockey practice, library visits, and time with friends and family. However, when ¬Sundays come, there is nothing planned on ¬Minimoni’s schedule, and she grows bored with the free time. Left to her own imagination and a room full of books, toys, and craft supplies, how will Minimoni ¬occupy herself? She begins with consulting a small mouse, who isn’t sure how to cure -Minimoni’s boredom and sends her on a far-flung adventure to ask a series of animals, and even an alien, for their boredom-¬busters. At first, the book’s use of a string of unhelpful creatures may feel random and disjointed, until a ¬final spread reveals ¬familiar miniature scenes constructed during -Minimoni’s adventure, visually demonstrating to readers that the heroine intuitively tapped into her creativity to independently cure her boredom. ¬Bonilla’s illustrations rendered in pencil and watercolor contribute a quality of fluidity, supporting the flowing nature of imagination. While the text and illustrations are equal partners in storytelling, each contributing unique details, the overarching story concept comes through most strongly in the recurrent depictions of imaginative playtime adventures. Minimoni and her mom have tan skin. VERDICT A simple story that ¬prescribes playful imagination as the cure for the universal condition of occasional boredom; useful for units on balancing screen time." —Emily Brush, School Library Journal

"After six days a week of structured time, Minimoni dreads the boredom of Sundays. Pixie-haired, wide-eyed, tan-skinned Minimoni has grown quite a bit: “I’m already going to a school for BIG kids!” Minimoni proudly shows off a diary: Monday is for spending time with friends, Tuesday is for hockey practice, Wednesday is for going to the library, Thursday is for painting, Friday is for visiting Grandma Lola, and Saturday is for hiking. But Sunday? “On Sundays there is NOTHING to do!” Here, the tale turns hilariously dramatic as Minimoni flops on the ground, moping. Bored, Minimoni seeks help from “the mouse who lives behind the red door,” who sends the youngster on a journey—down a mysterious tunnel, to an icy landscape, to outer space, all in search of a cure for ennui. Suggestive of watercolors, Bonilla’s slyly funny artwork tuns increasingly impressive, building effectively on the text. The book wraps up with Minimoni finally asking Mom for help. Readers will smile knowingly at Mom’s response (“Do you EVER get bored?”); indeed, a quick look at Minimoni’s cluttered bedroom, filled with toys and artwork reflecting the youngster’s flights of fancy, make it clear that the answer’s a resounding no. Starring a self-possessed, precocious protagonist who rivals Kay Thompson’s Eloise in moxie, this Spanish import is a quirky love letter to a child’s endless creativity—and a reminder that there’s nothing like unstructured time to let it truly run wild. A charming paean to the imagination." —Kirkus Reviews