Review of "Maybelline Has a Very. Bad. Day." by Dawn Dolan, Illustrated by Olena Kharkovenko

Score: 96/100 (9.6 out of 10)

Awwwwwwwwwwww.....

This book took our breaths away. It made us melt.

It's so. Dang. CUTE!

Just about everything about this book is tailor made to Just about everything about this book is tailor-made to make readers smile, laugh, sympathize, and immediately fall in love with Maybelline, the cute little goat protagonist.

From her enormous eyes and ears to the little flower tucked beside her head, she might be one of the most adorable characters we have ever seen in a children’s book!

And she is having an absolutely terrible day. Have you had one of those recently? That's another aspect about this book that we loved. Without becoming too dark or dreary for children, the book puts forward the idea that life is messy. Nothing is perfect. Nothing ever happens exactly the way you want it or how you planned it. There are slip ups. There are mess ups. There are ups and downs. Twists and turns. And we're along for the ride, just doing our best!

Maybelline is such a relatable protagonist. She gives kids an example of how it's ok to fail and make mistakes. It's ok for others to fail and make mistakes. It's ok for things not to go "right." It's normal.

That really got to the perfectionist in all of us. There are few things more stunting and crippling than perfectionism.

Anyway, let's go back to talking about Maybelline's bad day. Her special human friend, Ellie (a cute human who cares for Maybelline), is sick and cannot come brush her. Maybelline is still hungry after breakfast, tries to sneak some of Aunt Ivy’s hay without asking, and gets bonked on the head for her trouble. Then she pokes her lip on a blackberry thorn, gets stuck while reaching through a fence for a tempting weed, knocks the acorn bucket into the mud, upsets her friends, receives a shot from the veterinarian, gets nipped on the bottom by a herding dog, slips in the rain, and ends up cold, wet, muddy, and completely miserable. Poor little thing!

One of the best parts of this story is how accurately it captures the emotional experience of a bad day. None of Maybelline’s problems are catastrophic. Most are small accidents, disappointments, corrections, or uncomfortable moments. However, they keep piling on top of one another until Maybelline feels as though the whole day is against her. Children understand that feeling, and this book (as we mentioned) might be able to help them understand that feeling better.

Sometimes one unpleasant moment is manageable. Then another thing goes wrong. Then another. Before long, a spilled snack or a little scrape feels like the final insult in a day filled with injustice. Dawn Dolan respects those emotions without making them overly dramatic or dismissing them as silly.

Maybelline is also an extremely lovable protagonist because she is not perfect. Some of the unfortunate things happen through no fault of her own. Ellie becomes sick. It starts raining. The veterinarian needs to give her a shot. Other problems happen because Maybelline is impulsive, distracted, curious, hungry, or overly excited.

She tries to take food without asking. She reaches for something beyond the fence. She rushes toward the acorn bucket and accidentally ruins the snack for everyone. She ignores the herding dog until Mina has to give her a little nip to get her moving. That does not make Maybelline bad. It makes her a baby. And, oh, what a cute little baby she is! How can you resist and get upset at a adorable creature with such adorable eyes?

Because she's a baby, she is still learning how to listen, share, slow down, think before acting, and understand the consequences of her choices. Young readers may recognize some of themselves in her. Adults certainly will too. We have all had moments when we reached for something we should have left alone or became so excited that we accidentally made a mess.

Olena Kharkovenko’s illustrations elevate the entire experience. Gosh, these illustrations are CUTE!

All of them are hand-drawn and hand-colored. We love to see that, especially when they're done by someone as extraordinarily talented as Kharkovenko. These are among the best illustrations we've seen this year!

Maybelline is expressive without looking cartoonishly exaggerated. Her sadness, alarm, guilt, discomfort, and exhaustion are communicated through her eyes, ears, posture, and tiny facial expressions.

The illustration of her standing in the barn after realizing Ellie is sick is heartbreaking. She looks genuinely lonely. Her bewildered face after the blackberry thorn catches her lip is priceless. By the way, that little thought bubble in which Maybelline is thinking about Ellie really shines a bright light on how caring, compassionate, loving, and kind Maybelline is. She's a good person. Yes, she loves how Ellie treats her, but she also loves Ellie as a friend and cares about her/thinks about her when she's sick. What a great friend!

When Maybelline spills the acorns, she looks like she knows immediately that she has made a terrible mistake. After the rain, she appears so wet, droopy, and defeated that readers may want to reach into the page, wrap her in a towel, and tell her everything will be okay.

The illustrations also make the farm feel like a real, thriving place. The Finca is filled with flowers, fields, fences, birds, insects, goats, dogs, and rolling green hills. It feels warm and peaceful, even when Maybelline is having an awful time within it.

There's a little ladybug accompanying Maybelline in one scene, which was a nice extra touch--like a cherry on top. The only issues we had with the illustrations were the human characters, especially the veterinarian. She looks disproportionately short for being an adult with a doctorate. Beside that, the illustrations are almost perfect.

We especially enjoyed the introduction to Maybelline’s extended goat family and friends. Mama Skye, Sister Adeline, Cousin Token, Grumpy Aunt Ivy, Aunt Coffee, Aunt Rennie, Trudie, and Maddie each have distinctive appearances. The character page feels almost like meeting the cast of a cozy farmyard sitcom.

There's a cute German shepherd dog in here named Mina, who is also cute and is sure to catch kids' attentions.

You'd think this large cast of characters would be overwhelming, but it really isn't. Each character is so distinct and unique that they're easy to identify and distinguish.

“Grumpy Aunt Ivy” is a particularly funny touch. Her expression tells us everything before the story even begins. Of course she is the goat who refuses to share her hay and bonks Maybelline on the head. She looks as though she woke up annoyed and intends to remain that way until bedtime. She's a pretty mean and pretty selfish goat. Maybe you have a grumpy, mean member in your family you can associate wit her. Aunty Ivy is probably the most unpleasant character in the book, and young readers will make of her what they will.

Maybe that's a good opportunity to teach your kids that we can't control how others feel and how others behave. All we can control are our actions and choices. Aunt Ivy seems to be one of those people who chooses to be miserable and to take it out on others. Don't let someone else's bad attitude and behavior ruin your day and rob you of your happiness.

The humor throughout the book is gentle and perfectly suited to young readers. Maybelline getting stuck in the fence, tipping the acorns into the mud, and being nipped on the butt are funny situations, but the story never becomes cruel. We laugh because Maybelline is dramatic, expressive, and unmistakably safe, not because the book wants us to enjoy her suffering. That balance matters.

The story’s greatest emotional strength arrives at the end. After spending the day being poked, scolded, stuck, disappointed, muddy, and uncomfortable, Maybelline finally returns to the dry barn. She curls up beside her mama and sister while the farm dogs stand guard outside.

The coyotes may be howling, but she knows she is protected.

Mama Skye licks her dry and reassures her:
“Bad days happen, but they don’t last. Tomorrow will be better.”

That message is simple, gentle, and deeply comforting.

Mama Skye does not tell Maybelline to stop feeling sorry for herself. She does not lecture her about every mistake she made. She gives her warmth, physical comfort, safety, and perspective. Maybelline’s bad day was real, but it was temporary.

That is an important lesson for children. Feelings can be enormous without lasting forever. A mistake does not ruin everything. A painful or disappointing day does not mean tomorrow will be the same. Sometimes the best thing we can do is rest, accept comfort, and begin again in the morning.

We also appreciate that the book does not end by magically undoing everything that happened. The acorns are still muddy. Ellie is still recovering. Maybelline still got stuck, pricked, corrected, and soaked. What changes is her sense of security. She remembers that she is loved, protected, and not alone.

The final story questions are a valuable addition. Children are invited to discuss what makes a day feel bad, what they can do to make things better, and which of Maybelline’s mishaps they found funniest. These questions could lead to meaningful conversations about frustration, emotional regulation, mistakes, resilience, and asking trusted adults for comfort.

We have only one minor suggestion. It might have been nice to see Maybelline apologize to Trudie and Maddie after ruining the acorns or participate in making the situation right. That would have added a small lesson about repairing harm after an accident. Still, we understand why the book stays focused on surviving a difficult day rather than turning every scene into a direct moral lesson.

Dawn Dolan’s experience as both an elementary school teacher and a goat farmer is evident. The story feels grounded in real animal behavior while remaining accessible, warm, and emotionally meaningful for children. Maybelline’s adventures are inspired by actual farm animals, and that authenticity gives the book additional charm.

Maybelline Has a Very. Bad. Day. is adorable, funny, comforting, beautifully illustrated, and exceptionally easy to love. It offers children a delightful farmyard adventure while gently reminding them that bad moments pass, mistakes can be survived, and tomorrow always brings another opportunity for sunshine.

Maybelline had a very bad day.

We had a wonderful time reading about it because because, through one adorable little goat’s avalanche of mishaps, Dawn Dolan reminds us that even the worst days can still end with warmth, love, safety, and hope for tomorrow.

Check it out on Amazon!