Good News, Bad News

By Jeff Mack

A charming picture book about friendship and looking for the bright side: “This offering is, to borrow the rabbit’s two words, good news.” —The Horn Book Magazine
 
Good news: Rabbit and Mouse are going on a picnic. Bad news: It is starting to rain. Good news: Rabbit has an umbrella. Bad news: The stormy winds blow the umbrella (and Mouse!) into a tree.
 
So begins this clever story about two friends with very different dispositions. Using just four words, Jeff Mack has created a text with remarkable flair that is both funny and touching, and pairs perfectly with his energetic, and hilarious, illustrations.
 
Good news: Kids will want to read this story again and again!
 
“There really isn’t any bad news about this delightful book.” —Bookends, a Booklist Blog

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Jul 20, 2012
• ISBN: 9781452118536

Jeff Mack

Jeff Mack spent most of his childhood drawing monsters, making comic books, and building haunted houses in his basement. He has spent most of his adulthood doing the same things. Since 2003, he has written and illustrated a long list of award-winning picture books, chapter books, and early readers, including the Clueless McGee series; Good News, Bad News; Hush Little Polar Bear; Duck in the Fridge; and Frog and Fly. He has also illustrated many books for other authors, including James Howe’s Bunnicula and Friends series and Eve Bunting’s Hurry! Hurry! At home in Northampton, Massachusetts, he travels both nationally and internationally visiting schools and libraries to talk with kids about creating books.

Book preview

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Reviews for Good News, Bad News

[lg503-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book tells you a story of how things could go wrong from a good deed. At first the rabbit is trying to do soething nice for the mouse, and nothing seems to work, and the mouse gets hurt every time. Until the mouse gets upset at the rabbit, but the rabbit gets very sad, so the mouse forgive him. At the end they are good friends again.

[krystalkeroack · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book teaches children about looking on the bright side. The two characters in this story, mouse and Bunny are complete opposites. Bunny finds the good in everything, and Mouse find the bad. In the end Mouse is fed up and hurts Bunny feelings. Mouse now has to change and find something good in a storm to help life his friend.

[kwolinski-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good News Bad News is a funny and heart warming book about two friends, a rabbit and a mouse, who have different dispositions on life. They each encounter good news and bad news throughout there journey of the day. The rabbit has a positive attitude, while the mouse has a negative one. The mouse quickly says that everything is bad news and it tears down rabbit. Mouse feels terrible about his actions and tries to make it up to rabbit. At the end, they are both on good vibes, and they enjoy the rest of their day.

[mosbor · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good News Bad News is about a rabbit and a mouse trying to have a picnic who run into some trouble. The theme is about how true friendship can endure adversity. Kids will enjoy the comedy in this book. Mack does a good job of drawing facial expressions that tell whether what is occurring in the story is good news or bad news. A good lesson for this book could be to always try to look on the bright side.

[nycke137 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I like to be dramatic when reading this, but then again, what book don't I like be dramatic with. I read "GOOD NEWS!!" and shout, then I read "bad news..." and I say it all sad like. I can usually get the kids to cheer GOOD NEWS with me and sulkily say bad news.

[afussell-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A cute story about two friends who want to have a picnic. There is good news, they have a picnic basket, and bad news, it is about to rain. The story goes back and fourth between good news and bad news.

[sullywriter_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Oh, the fun you can have with just four words and some wonderfully expressive faces on a rabbit, a mouse, and (briefly) a bear. Great fun! Reminds me a bit of Remy Charlip's Fortunately.

[angie7patterson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Mack, Jeff. Good News Bad News. San Francisco: Chronicle Books LLC, 2012Characters: Bunny; MouseSetting: In an open grassy field under an apple treeTheme: individual perspectives; friendship; moods, positive thinkingGenre: Children’s fiction; picturebookGolden Quote: “Good news. Bad news. Good news. Bad news.”Summary: While on a picnic, Bunny and Mouse see everything that happens to them from opposite points of view--Bunny sees only the good, while Mouse sees only the bad.Audience: Children ages 3-6Curriculum ties: language arts/reading- have students think about their feeling and moods and compare them to the characters in the story, is it better to be positive or negative?, how do you help your friends when they are in a bad mood?, how do your friends help you when you are in a bad mood?, what would you if you had a friend like Mouse? Or Bunny?, create a story only using a few words (like the author)Awards: Capitol Choices book 2013Personal response: It is lovely to see a book convey so much by simply using four words. These four words combined with delightfully funny artwork tell the story of two friends with two completely different points of view. Bunny is a happy go lucky kind of creature who is optimistic, while Mouse, on the other hand, is a pessimist. One day, Bunny decides he wants to have a picnic with Mouse and from there the hilarity ensues. For every piece of” bad news” Mouse sees, Bunny has a “good news” solution. This continues until Mouse can’t take it anymore and yells, “BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD NEWS!” to Bunny, who then starts to cry. Just when Bunny sees the bad news, Mouse seizes the opportunity to cheer his friend up and finally sees good in the situation. The story ends with” very good news” and a hug. Without a doubt, both children and adults alike will be captivated by this action packed and very funny story. Good New Bad News would be a great story for children to evaluate their outlooks on life. Is the glass half empty or is it half full?

[mzzcolby · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A hilarious portrayal of what can go wrong during a simple picnic; good news rabbit and bad news mouse reveal how different dispositions react inversely to the same situation. Rabbit and Mouse repeat the same token words over and over again as situations go from good to bad as revealed through Mack’s full-paged, highly saturated illustrations expressing over-the-top body language and comical facial expressions. The pace of the contrary characters’ swiftly changing emotions jostles the reader across the landscape as Rabbit and Mouse battle nature and all of its elements. Cunning pictorial representations of each character’s mood are highlighted by frequently changing weather patterns, a bright sunny day for optimistic Rabbit and an ominous sky for grumpy mouse. These energetic images allow the astute reader to laugh along with the rapid-fire hijinks of two friends just trying to enjoy some tasty picnic food. Perfect for preschool through third grade storytimes, the minimal text allows readers to express their own thoughts and opinions about diverse emotions as the characters go from elation to exasperation with the mere turn of a page.

[bperry93 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Mack, illustrator of books including “Boo, Bunny,” “The Icky Sticky Chameleon,” and “Mr. Duck Means Business,” both writes and illustrates this story about Bunny and Rat’s good and bad luck experiences. The two venture out on a picnic and everything that Bunny finds as being “good,” Rat finds someway to turn it all around into something bad. For instance, it starts to rain in the book and Bunny gives an umbrella to Rat who is not looking very pleased at all, depicting the “good news” aspect of the story. However, a gust of wind comes along and scoops Rat and the umbrella up, making Rat proclaim rather unpleasantly “bad news.” The book is very simple, only ever saying those two phrases, allowing the fun illustrations to tell the story themselves. The simplicity of the book and the message and meaning that it displays would be ideal for younger children, allowing for open discussions and comparisons of the two friends. Just remember from every piece of bad news, there’s some sort of good news shortly after!