A fresh and funny picture book about feeling left out and the power of friendship, from the author and illustrator of A Year Without Mom.

Every evening before brushing their teeth and getting ready for bed, Vivi and Monkey play the game: Monkey hides under a sheet, and Vivi pretends to look for him. Every evening, Chair wishes more than anything that he could play, too.

One night, Chair decides to make Monkey late for the game so that Vivi will look for Chair instead. But nothing goes quite according to plan. Instead of looking for Chair, Vivi grows increasingly worried about Monkey. She gathers witnesses for questioning, and Chair could be the key to her investigation. But if Vivi finds Monkey, will she still want to be friends with Chair?

This sweet, funny story about friendship will encourage young readers to empathize with those feeling left out. Kids will delight in Dasha’s simple yet sophisticated illustrations.

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3
Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3
Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.

Dasha Tolstikova is the author and illustrator of the graphic memoir A Year Without Mom, which was a Kirkus Best Middle-Grade Book of the Year, a USBBY Outstanding International Books selection, and received four starred reviews. Dasha has illustrated several picture books, including Violet and the Woof by Rebecca Grabill, Friend or Foe? by John Sobol and The Jacket by Kirsten Hall. Her illustrations have also appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the New Yorker. She lives in Brooklyn, New York. The Bad Chair is the first picture book Dasha has written and illustrated.

Dasha Tolstikova's profile page

Certain to become a go-to read-aloud choice for educators, librarians, and parents alike when seeking to promote the importance of inclusion.

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

[U]nique, nuanced artwork.

School Library Journal

[A] clever representation of all-too-real feelings of the young. Bright, expressive illustrations add to the chuckle-worthy drama.

Kirkus Reviews

[A] story that in my estimation, grows increasingly appealing upon each reading.

Fab Book Reviews Blog

[C]heery, naïf-style artwork.

Publishers Weekly