Magical Monday is a book about friendship with a theme of accepting people with differences. I have taught children in special education for over 30 years now. Recently, however, I have also taught in general education classes where students with milder disabilities such as mild autism and ADHD are integrated into the regular classroom. Sadly, it seems that students who are shy or who have milder disabilities are the ones who suffer most from bullying. The purpose of this book is to make a positive difference by teaching children from an early age to be accepting of people with differences, and that if they cultivate a friendship, they may be pleasantly surprised.
A second purpose of this book is to teach calendar skills, beginning with the first school day of the week "Monday," which is also a Fry sight word. It is also to teach young readers to recognize words that begin with the consonant "Mm," and to emphasize this, all of the "Mm" words in the story are highlighted in yellow. Another objective of the book is to teach directional words, which are underlined. In addition to teaching the mechanics of learning to read, there is a secondary theme of friendship and kindness in the story, and an emphasis on social skills.
There is also a bonus coloring book included. I have found that children love to read books they have colored themselves!