This colorful children's book tackles the hard topic of school lockdowns. The book is primarily about a girl named Ava and her grandfather but there is a students in a wheelchair represented. Ava and her granddad enjoy a picnic and some painting while discussing the events at school that scared Ava. Her grandfather tells her about duck and cover drills that also scared him as a child.
The illustrations are beautiful and the balance of the world as a scary place and a beautiful place was perfect.

One Thursday Afternoon by Barbara DiLorenzo is a short but succinct story of the aftereffects of practicing lockdown in elementary schools. on Ava. Talking and spending time with her grandfather helps her While having a picnic and then spending time painting, these activities allow her to discuss her feelings with her grandfather and while it doesn't help her fears it does give her some peace of mind. As an introduction to the subject, this book is a starting point to more conversation about the subject.

This is a beautiful book. The illustrations are colorful and makes you want to join Ava's world. The story is a well written story about the hardships of today's youth- practicing a lockdown drill due to intruders. This is a scary topic, and the story is written in a calm and comforting way. This is also an important topic, and the author further discusses how to emotionally handle the anxieties of this tough situation for both the adult and child.

This was a unique and important story that really stands out amongst the countless picture books I've read this year. We see Ava struggle to come to terms with a lockdown drill that has taken place at her school. I thought this was a great way to tackle such a tough subject without the book becoming too dark and scary for young readers. This book would be great for children facing similar fears as Ava, or even for those feeling anxious about other unknowns. It could also be a great conversation starter for children not exposed to these events in their life. I'd definitely recommend reading this picture book with a child in your life!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced ebook copy of this title!

When I read this book, I wondered who really should be the audience. It is a picture book so presumably something children would read. But I think it is more for adults to give them guidance on how to talk to children about scary things.

In the book Ava has become concerned about a lockdown drill at there school. Certainly the idea that one is not safe can be frightening. Ava's grandfather takes her out for the afternoon and when she finally is ready to talk about her fears, he acknowledges that even though the world can be scary, it can also be beautiful.

Now this is a great message, but for a child in an inner city school who doesn't have the option of sitting in a pleasant place like Ava and her grandfather, the message might seem a bit unreal. However, if a parent has read this, they would know how to better address these fears.

When Grandfather told Ava that as a child he went through "duck and cover" drills, I couldn't help but be taken back to my own childhood. I grew up where there was a large military presence it was considered one of the primary targets of any attack by another country. Many people were building bomb shelters. I remember my mother saying that she'd rather die in the attack than live in the nuclear fallout that was expected to be left. As a child, we knew that ducking under a desk in a room that had one wall of glass windows or crouching in the hallway would not really protect us. Even as an adult, there were times that I would be frightened if I heard lots of airplanes at one time - and then later in the mid 70's when our air force was grounded because of an international event, I was frightened when we heard NO planes at the Air Force Base.

This is largely a book for adults to remind them of their own fears both as children and how to discuss them so that a child will realize that we all have certain fears, but we learn how to live to overcome them and enjoy life in spite of them.

This is one of the first books I have seen that attempts to tackle the emotional toll that lockdown drills has on children and adults in the school. It does it in a very soothing way that respects the child’s feelings and fears. It is very moving.

This book is about a girl who is talking to her grandpa after going through a lockdown drill at school. I loved how this book can be applied in so many ways. Ava's feelings and anxietys and the way her grandpa addresses them can be applied to many different experiences a child has. I also thought it was important that Ava felt better, but her feelings did not completely go away. I think it is important to teach children that it's okay to still feel a little scared/anxiety and that we are there to support them for the short and long term.

This book is almost perfect. It approaches one of the most important subjects that kids today are having to live through. It does so with beauty and such relevant understanding. It is also short enough for very young readers to listen. I am grateful that young people will have this book in their future.

Outstanding, reassuring book that shows the understanding way a grandfather comforts and encourages his granddaughter after a lockdown at school. Highly recommend.

The illustrations are lovely and provide a sense of tranquility. The subject matter is difficult. This book might spark a conversation and help a frightened child open up to an adult.

Ava has a bad day at school and doesn't really want to talk about it, but Grandpa has the insight and patience to give her space and the opportunity to express herself when she's ready. It turns out Ava is upset after a lockdown drill. While everyone is safe, her sense of security is shattered, and it's up to Grandpa and nature to remind her that while the world can be a scary place, it can also be beautiful.

In a world where schools aren't always safe places and children are often left without the words to work out their anxieties surrounding their fears, this book is a welcome opening for conversations. It's a difficult book in some ways, but a beautiful and welcome one. I'll particularly be sharing it with parents, as these conversations are ideal for one-on-one, but I hope many teachers get behind it also.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Sadly, we have to have a book for us as parents to read to our children to help them navigate their feelings when dealing with the horrible things happening in school. I loved how this book gave a coping mechanism to help a child understand how to get those feelings of being upset and scared out. The grandfather in this story, I know, sounds crazy but reminded me of Jesus. This is not a religious book, but I just got that feel of that character. This book will be one that might be in the school library so students can have their feelings validated as they deal with and understand the lockdown drills they have in school.
The illustrations were beautiful, and I feel they helped convey the message.

One Thursday Afternoon is a book about dealing with feeling safe in today’s environment. Granddad picks Ava up from school on a day that the school had a lockdown drill. Ava is bothered by the drill and questions where she can be safe. With some quiet time in nature, Ava opens up to Granddad about what is bothering her. Granddad shares a story of the duck and cover drills he did during school. He also tells Ava he felt scared during the drills. He also promised to always be there to listen. I read this with my six year old grandson. He listened but I think he is a little old for the format of the story. It was more a picture book and he has outgrown those. I think it would be excellent for younger children. I gave it 4 stars because the age level says up to seven and I think the older kids won’t be interested in this picture book format.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the early copy of this title.

As an educator, we experience multiple lockdown drills each year. We go through the district training and guide our students through the drills in order to prepare for an actual emergency. I always have wondered if this training makes any difference as I think in the moment I will likely forget the training and act on impulse.

This book makes me consider these training do make a difference, but perhaps not the difference I imagined. Lockdown drills make some kids anxious and filled with fears. Others feel "prepared" that they are "trained" for when they face an actual situation as stated by kids comforting their families after Uvalde.

I think what sticks with me in this book is that I am not sure I have ever fully decompressed after a lockdown and I am hoping all kids who have felt fear and worry and sadness after these drills have a trusted adult to turn to for support.

I will definitely hand this to classroom teachers who wish to discuss emotions felt before, during, and after a lockdown drill.

Lovely book that validates the students fears from a lock down drill but redirects them to coping strategies such as being with others, finding peace/beauty, hobbies, nature.

It is a great book for young elementary school children! During these difficult times of school shootings and worries about school safety, this story highlights the feelings of a child who had a lockdown drill at school. I think many young children are feeling the same way but don’t know how to verbalize their feelings.

This could be used as a whole class lesson that opens up a class discussion about feelings and school safety. If there is a child who seems withdrawn or worried, this might be a good book to read one-on-one.

It also might be a good book for parents to read with their young children. By sharing this story, children can learn that sharing their feelings with an adult can help them feel better.

I would highly recommend this book to teachers and parents. If you read it, please let me know what you think.

A very timely story done very well. Grandpa picks Ava up at school. He has an afternoon of painting in the park planned, but Ava doesn't feel like it. She admits that they had a lockdown drill at school. It scared her. He tells her about drills they had when he was in school. The world is both a beautiful and scary place, but he is always there for her. She can talk to him about anything.
This book should be shared with all school aged children. Unfortunately these have become all too common in schools these days.

Cute story with nice graphics. I like how it shows respect for a child's feelings, not forcing the child to tell the feelings, but instead allows the time needed. I'd recommend this to parents to read to their child.

I love the spirit of this book. This picture book addressed the stress that young people must be in due to the idea of school shootings and the drills they must do to prepare for them. I think the execution of such a deep topic is not where it needs to be, however. I get that this is meant to open the door to communication and that most parents would like to have control of what they tell their children, but I still feel that there could have been more substance to this book. It doesn't need to go into detail on the subject, but it does need to be impactful. I don't think children will find this impactful and I also don't think it will make them question things. In that aspect, I do believe this book has failed in its objective. I do, however, give it points for trying this objective and I do think we need more books tackling this sensitive subject.

I didn’t really like this book at all. I thought it was dismissive of Ava’s feelings and the experiences of students who have either been in a school shooting or a drill to prepare for one. It was weird from the get go that when Ava expressed sadness, her grandpa didn’t ask her why, but rather pushed her to do something she didn’t want to do. The book is 30 pages but only 5 of them actually really address school shootings. And even then, the grandad is sort of dismissive and they don’t have a conversation about how to help her through her fears or that her fears are not only real but important.