Saturday, Sunday Busy Day, Fun Day by Natalie Kate Forbes. Illus. by Danny Snell
For working families the weekend is a precious time to get things done and to have fun with the children.
The routine for Saturday is laid out in a list on the first endpaper, and reading through that list will have lots of events recognised by the readers, highlighting that their families do similar things on Saturday. Waking early, feeding the dog, and going swimming, intermingles with shopping, going to the library, then dinner, bath time, books and bed. Each rhyming stanza outlines the things the family does. On Saturday it all seems a mad rush as the sleepy family members force themselves out of bed, eating a very quick breakfast watching the clock to ensure all the activities will be done with no time to lose.
The words and illustrations show lots of movement, underlying the idea of Saturday having little time to fit everything in. A quick swim and then on to the shops, things falling around their feet as they rush to get it all done. A visit to the library is just as rushed as mum’s bag is pulled along, and books teeter on the shelves. The formula is all rush and hurry, as the family tries valiantly to fit it all in.
Turning the page is quite a contrast. Sunday is different as the family relaxes into their free day, the family all piling into the double bed, eating breakfast slowly together. Noise is the order of the day as the drum kit is used, and activities include the children digging in the garden to plant some seeds. Running through the sprinkler is always a fun thing to do, and lying down on their blankets, looking into the sky is a calming, quiet activity. When grandparents arrive, a picnic is shared, and after all this activity a long soaking bath is the order of the day.
The first half of the weekend, Saturday is all about rushing, while the second day the weekend, Sunday is almost the opposite. Things are taken slowly, quietly, calmly, welcoming visitors, playing with the dog, looking at the clouds.
Danny Snell’s wonderful images of a family at work and play, being active, eating together, bathing and going to bed are beguiling, showing the range of things the family does together both on a fast rushed day, and on a slow, calm day. The cover shows a frazzled family, taking long strides, doing lots of things all at once, intent on getting through the list. The bottom half of the cover shows the same family releasing on Sunday, food spread out on the picnic rug, a child reading a book while leaning on her father’s leg, another playing with the dog, and mum quite happily eating an apple. The contrast is amazing, and readers will quickly recognise the difference between the days offering things their families do on the weekend.
A loving family is shown in text and image, sharing the frantic moments on a day when a list is appropriate to get everything done, then winding down on the Sunday, a quiet, peaceful day for all the family to join together. I love the gentle humour of Snell’s illustrations, the clouds in the sky, the frazzled look on the parents’ faces, the dog with bubbles forming a hair piece, the accident at the supermarket: all supporting the idea of family and the things they do together.
Themes: Families, Saturday, Sunday, Weekend, Journey, Humour.
Fran Knight