ARE YOU BORED, MINIMONI?

After six days a week of structured time, Minimoni dreads the boredom of Sundays.

Pixie-haired, wide-eyed, tan-skinned Minimoni has grown quite a bit: “I’m already going to a school for BIG kids!” Minimoni proudly shows off a diary: Monday is for spending time with friends, Tuesday is for hockey practice, Wednesday is for going to the library, Thursday is for painting, Friday is for visiting Grandma Lola, and Saturday is for hiking. But Sunday? “On Sundays there is NOTHING to do!” Here, the tale turns hilariously dramatic as Minimoni flops on the ground, moping. Bored, Minimoni seeks help from “the mouse who lives behind the red door,” who sends the youngster on a journey—down a mysterious tunnel, to an icy landscape, to outer space, all in search of a cure for ennui. Suggestive of watercolors, Bonilla’s slyly funny artwork tuns increasingly impressive, building effectively on the text. The book wraps up with Minimoni finally asking Mom for help. Readers will smile knowingly at Mom’s response (“Do you EVER get bored?”); indeed, a quick look at Minimoni’s cluttered bedroom, filled with toys and artwork reflecting the youngster’s flights of fancy, makes it clear that the answer’s a resounding no. Starring a self-possessed, precocious protagonist who rivals Kay Thompson’s Eloise in moxie, this Spanish import is a quirky love letter to a child’s endless creativity—and a reminder that there’s nothing like unstructured time to let it truly run wild.

A charming paean to the imagination.