One Thursday Afternoon is a special read aloud book. The story focused on Ava’s reaction to a lock down drill in school, a place where she had felt safe in the past. Her grandfather listening to Ava and allowing her to address her fears made the book a perfect way to open the discussions about how to help student’s fears.

Along with the wonderful words is a story in pictures that highlights the specialness of the words. Ava’s expressions and thoughts were well documented and her grandfather was a great listener for Ava. Ava and her Granddad painting outside enjoying nature helped her face the world.

One Thursday Afternoon was a great read that really would be a good addition to any school or town library.

Such a topic, that we should not have to be writing about, yet, as a member of a public school system, we do have lock-down drills, just like fire alarm drills. This book, by Barbara DiLorenzo, fits the bill. A child, coming home, out of sorts and a wise grandfather, who offers quiet, nature and his peace to give her strength and security. I will be recommending this book for our classroom and others. The illustrations are beautiful. Thanks to NetGalley, Flyaway Books and Ms DiLorenzo for the preread in exchange for an honest review. I look forward to seeing the book as a paperback vs the e-reader copy which I read.

It's unfortunate that this book is necessary in today's world. However, I loved how the story was delivered. It spoke about feelings, and how when you are upset, how one should focus on all of the senses as a distraction. It's comforting for a child to know that an adult they trust also feels scared at times, but to focus on the beauty in life. The message was good, and I would recommend this to children who are going through *that* phase at school

As a mom and a teacher, this is a must read book. Children are hearing things all over the news about school shootings. This book takes the Lockdown Drill and breaks down through a sweet story with a grandfather and his granddaughter. Grandpa talks about how he was scared when he had “Duck and Cover” drills when he was little. Ava shares how scared she was in school during the drill.
This takes a scary subject and shows children that yes, the world can be scary, but there is also beauty in it. A great follow up project would be to have the children draw a picture of something that is beautiful to them.
I want to thank Flyaway Books and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This is a good read for schools. It touches on emotions kids are facing far to often. It can help open conversations for parents and teachers. It shows kids it’s ok to feel sad, scared and how talking and doing activities can help you feel better.

A real nice book with soft warm colors & illustrations.....that young & old(er!) can appreciate. And a good story & advice to go along with it. It's a real well done book.....it might help start some good conversations between parents/grandparents & children. I'd say this would be a good book to have in any library.
I received an e-ARC of this book from publisher Flyaway Books via NetGalley, & in return I offer this my own fair & honest review of it. All opinions are my own.

This book thoughtfully addresses lockdown/active shooter drills in schools today with the little girl's reaction to her school's drill earlier that day. Her grandpa is patient and thoughtful and he validates her feelings, all of which are very good ways to address traumatic experiences. I feel that the comparison to Duck and Cover drills was a bit out of touch. I also wish the author had asked a licensed family therapist about advice to give parents about recognizing the signs to bring their children to get help for the anxiety and trauma that these drills can cause.

A sad but necessary book. The illustrations are beautiful and the loving relationship between the girl and her grandfather is lovely. Although this book cannot provide total comfort or answers--who can for this terrible reality?--it should be helpful to both children and caregivers to see that they are not alone in their fears and that talking about and listening to the concerns is important. I'll definitely buy this book for my library and recommend it as needed. Many thanks to Flyaway Books and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book.

Great picture book for lower elementary students talking about the scary reality of students having to have lock down drills and no longer feeling that school is a safe place. This book could lead to some important conversations in the classroom as well as reminding students of the beauty of the world. Lovely illustrations. I would definitely use this with my second grade students.

It is really sad that this book has to exist, but I am glad that it does. It is well written and gentle with what could be a really harsh topic. I think it would be great to read in the classroom before or after a drill or for parents at home as a way to begin a conversation with their kids. I loved how the endpapers changed. In the beginning they are a scene from Ava's classroom and at the end they are a calm scene of the nature trail they were on, showing the change in Ava's thoughts and emotions by the end of the book. Ava's grandfather is adorable and he demonstrates the importance of being kind and listening to each other.

A gentle, subtle story that would work well as a read aloud. A great conversation starter and wonderful modeling for children and caregivers on how to provide space and quiet to express feelings. I will be recommending this especially for children who don't naturally talk about feelings easily.

I wish this book didn't have to exist, but here we are. Children have been doing some version of safety drills for years but in this environment that we currently find ourselves in, the drills feel so much more important...and terrifying. As a parent and former teacher, I have seen first hand what these drills do to kids and have seen the look of panic in there young eyes. In this story, I appreciate how the grandfather validates Ava's feelings instead of brushing them off and it offers a suggestion for when you are feeling overwhelmed (get in nature, create, talk to someone). I think this would be an appropriate book for all elementary school classrooms.

Wow. This book hits the crux of all our fears about the violence that is permeating society. Not just schools but shopping malls, churches, grocery stores and other places large groups gather there is the potential for attacks. The author has taken a difficult topic and approaches it in the best way possible. Just listen. We all need to hear that. Thank you Ms. DiLorenzo for writing this book.
I received an advanced reader copy for free from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Thanks to Netgalley who gave me this ebook in exchange for an honest review. Lockdown drills are scary, especially with the dramatic increase in school shootings. It is heartbreaking that children have to endure the trauma of lockdown drills. This timely book does an excellent job of describing what lockdown drills are like and how they can affect children. It's too bad we need books like this. Smart teacher will give students a chase to talk about their feelings. While lockdown drills will continue to be scary, hopefully it will help children better understand. This is a must read book before the first lockdown of the school year.

"One Thursday Afternoon" follows a young girl named Ava at the end of the day when her grandpa picks her up from school. Granddad notices that Ava is very quiet and sad, so he takes her to the park where they like to paint. At first, Ava just wants to be left alone, but Granddad gives her space and quiet and eventually she tells him that they had a lock down drill at school that day. Ava discusses her emotions with her grandpa and he reassures her that he will always listen to her.

The lush backgrounds in this picture book are really beautiful and comforting. The discussions between Ava and her grandpa make this book a valuable SEL resource for schools after their own lockdown drills. My one complaint is how the book uses space. Some pages have plain white backgrounds which contrasts with the rich nature scenes on other pages. I could understand if this was used to draw attention to the quiet scenes, or the more emotional pages, but that wasn't necessarily the case. Still, I will be purchasing this book for my library and recommending that teachers use it to discuss post-lockdown drill anxieties with their students.

This story was sadly something that needed to be written. Would recommend it to anyone that has little ones that need to see themselves represented in a time where school shootings happen more often than not.

It’s sad that the world has become a place where children don’t feel safe at school. It seems that every other day we turn on the news to find out that there’s been a mass shooting - in schools, shopping malls, and at crowded events. While politicians and the media argue back and forth about who’s to blame and what should be done to address it, children, parents, and teachers are the ones that have to deal with it on a daily basis.

I had the opportunity to read a digital ARC of this picture book from NetGalley. This book, coming out just as a new school year begins, is a terrific resource to help children, teachers, and parents start a conversation about overcoming the fears and anxieties that naturally come with new emphasis being placed on security measures and safety drills.

In a note at the end, the author shares the real life inspiration for this book. As she was finishing up an author event at a school, there was a lockdown put in place. While she was waiting for the all-clear, she imagined the fear that the young children in the building must be experiencing.

With beautiful illustrations, and calming text, this book would be a great way to reassure young readers that the adults around them will do everything they can to keep them safe.

As soon as I saw this book in a NetGalley email I knew I wanted to read and review it. As a parent sending a child into Kindergarten this is something that is about to sharply become my and my son’s reality.

I’m saddened by the need to have active shooter drills, but know I need to prepare myself for how to best support my son, because the trauma of even a drill is surely hard on a young child.

The artwork of this book is beautiful. Ava and her grandfather are to go on a picnic and to paint on a nature trail and I feel like the artwork gets you into that frame of mind. The scenery very much looks like a beautiful watercolor painting in itself.

The book demonstrates to children that it’s okay to not know how to feel, to feel sad, to want quiet, or to want to talk. It demonstrates to guardians, grandparents, and parents how to best support your child through something like this. Be willing to listen and validate their feelings.

This is a tough subject but I’m grateful to the author for writing it and giving adults a resource such as this.

The importance of listening to a child's concerns and fears regarding our everchanging world and the value of open discussion.
#NetGalley #Flyaway Books

I liked this book. It seems like it would really help with such a hard topic to talk to kids about. It was relatable and didn't sugar coat over anything.