The Day I Ran Away

Written by Holly L. Niner
Illustrated by Isabella Ongaro

Two words: sweet and adorable. Both the story and the illustrations. Told mostly through dialogue, the words are sparse but meaningful. The illustrations give a lot of meaning to the girl’s actions.

A young, very independent girl is having a bad day, at least what seems like a bad day to her. She can’t wear her favorite shirt and she’s out of her favorite cereal. She goes to her room to color and colors her shirt instead. In a heap of trouble, she announces she’s running away. Mom packs her sandwich for her, then she remembers she’s not allowed to cross the street. So she runs away to the back yard with her pop up tent, her dog, her stuffed animals, and coloring pages. The run away session is so successful, she vows to repeat it.

The story shows how a little solitude can be a good thing, especially if we have a loving family to return to, or one that would like to run away with you. 

Buy on Amazon

  • The Day I Ran AwayTitle: The Day I Ran Away
  • Author: Holly L. Niner
  • Illustrator: Isabella Ongaro
  • Published: Flashlight Press, 2017
  • Reviewer: Sue Poduska
  • Format: Hardcover, 32 pages
  • Grade Level: K to 2
  • Genre: Picture book, Fiction
  • ISBN: 978-1936261898
  • Extras: Website activity pages

One comment

  1. Holly Niner says:

    Thank you Sue, for your wonderful review. I’m glad you enjoyed the book. When I’ve shared this book at school visits the students are drawn to the illustrations and enjoy the humor. Naturally, they are divided on whether it was fair for Grace to lose her markers for a week! I think it is perfect for first graders. They can practice the calm-down yoga, skillfully woven into Isabella Ongaro’s sweet illustrations. The two font colors (purple for Grace and orange for Dad) make it perfect for paired partner reading; especially fun to do with Dad! I’m glad you enjoyed it.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *