A Day off School - Perfect Picture Book Friday #PPBF

2 minutes ago
3 min read

Highlighting the inevitable fact that the novelty of staying home, or getting to play with the extra special "sick toys" that mom would bring out, never seems to last for a whole illness (especially if more than a day), this kid's imagination of all the amazing and unusual things that might be happening at school while he was gone makes this book so much fun to read and explore.

Book cover -aboy and cat sit in their house, in front of a TV playing a video game, while outside a firecracker explodes, a pirate ship sails up, a dinosaur walks past, and an alien ship flies over.

A Day off School

Author: Oliver Jeffers

Illustrator: Kevin Waldron

Publisher: Philomel Books (July 7, 2026)

Ages: 4 - 8

Fiction

Themes:

Sick day, boredom, missing out, humor, and imagination.

Synopsis:

A hilarious picture book from the mind of #1 New York Times bestselling creator Oliver Jeffers, about what incredible things you might miss if you take the day off school . . .

A whole day off school! ALL TO HIMSELF!!

When Herbie has the sniffles, he stays home from school. It’s exciting to have time to play Space Blasters and watch cartoons. But by lunchtime, he wonders what fun he might be missing at school. What if there’s an extra playtime, a dog on the loose . . . or even A PIRATE INVASION?

A hilarious, action-packed story from globally bestselling picture book creator Oliver Jeffers and award-winning illustrator Kevin Waldron.

Opening Lines:

Herbie had the sniffles.

His parents said he could

stay home from school today.

What I Loved about this book:

The dark, gloomy atmosphere of a sick kid's room is interestingly juxtaposed against the choice of a font that's more creative and not quite cursive. A hint, rewarded with the page turn, that "Secretly, he was really excited. A whole day OFF school! ALL TO HIMSELF!!"

Internal spread - a boy, in bed snuggled under covers with a cat, while sits on the edge of the bed and mom checks for illness.

After his sister leaves for school, the book's illustrations shift to a fun, colorful series of vignettes, set against a white page, as Herbie sets about doing all the activities on his list.

Internal spread - upper left, a boy hiding in a pillow fort, with cat outside it. Lower left, a boy playing video game, with cat watching next to him. On the right, boay and cat racing cars on a long twisted track.

Only to jump back into bed, reading a book in the dark purple and blue palate of his room when his father checks on him, and . . . "it wasn't even lunchtime yet." Try as he might, repeating his list of fun things can't keep his mind from wandering to his classroom and imagining all the fun he must be missing. I love that we see Herbie drooping and flopping across the couch with his cat, as his wild imaginings colorfully expand across the spreads.

Internal spread - on the left a boy and a cat sit on a couch, while just above his head two girls blow out candles on a birthday cake and a bouquet of seven balloons floats to the side of the couch. On the right, a caravan of four big rigs weave around birthday cake, cake slices, and cones full of fireworks. I the upper right corner a semi-s=circle of kids cheers for a fireworks display.

Oliver Jeffers and Kevin Waldron have a great time playing with Herbie's imagination of events he is missing at school - pirates, monsters, or aliens. Though Herbie and his cat are on the couch, in the house, on each of these images, Kevin Waldron's watercolor, gouache, pen and ink, and Procreate illustrations wonderfully fill the page and focus the reader on Herbie's increasingly wild imaginings. Playing beautifully off Oliver Jeffers wacky humor, a couple of fun gags and the ending are imaginative and hillariously illustrated. This is a perfect book for exploring imaginary scenarios, reading on a sick day, or just snuggling up for a dose of giggles.

Resources:

what do you like to do when you stay home on sick days? Make a list of things you'd do if you could stay home (and not be super sick). Do any of them match what Herbie did?
draw or write a description of the wackiest, craziest things you can imagine happening at your school during one of your days off school. How silly or crazy can you be?