Are You Bored, Minimoni? - by Rocio Bonilla (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Boredom Buster! Join Minimoni's Fun Quest for Amazing Adventures!

Uh oh! It's Sunday, and for super-fun Minimoni, that can only mean one thing: BOREDOM! After a week packed with reading in the library, hiking, hockey, and hanging out with Grandma, Sunday feels... blah. Nothing to do, nowhere to go - Minimoni is officially BORED! But wait! Could it be that the best adventures aren't planned, but imagined? Join curious Minimoni on a delightful journey of discovery as she learns that the world around her is bursting with possibilities, just waiting for a little spark of creativity. Are You Bored, Minimoni? shows young readers that they have the power to turn any ordinary day into an extraordinary adventure, all with the amazing tool of their own imagination!

• Bye-Bye Boredom: This book offers a fun and relatable solution to those "nothing to do" days.


• Spark Imagination: Encourages creativity and shows kids the power of their own minds.


• Relatable Character: Young readers will connect with Minimoni's quest to escape boredom with whimsical illustrations and easy to read text.


• Perfect for Ages 3-6: Engaging for preschoolers and children in the early stages of reading.


• Heartwarming Message: Celebrates the joy of simple pleasures and the magic of imagination.


• Great for Story Time: A delightful and engaging read-aloud for families.

For over 75 years, Albatros Media has been crafting original and innovative children's books that are both playful and educational, fostering curiosity and a thirst for knowledge in young minds. We deliver the highest quality children's books from novelty, picture, pop-up, and how-to books, to non-fiction, and fairy tale books.

Review Quotes

"PreS-Gr 1-Monica, or Minimoni, as she is more affectionately called, has an active weekly schedule full of painting classes, hockey practice, library visits, and time with friends and family. However, when ¬Sundays come, there is nothing planned on ¬Minimoni's schedule, and she grows bored with the free time. Left to her own imagination and a room full of books, toys, and craft supplies, how will Minimoni ¬occupy herself? She begins with consulting a small mouse, who isn't sure how to cure -Minimoni's boredom and sends her on a far-flung adventure to ask a series of animals, and even an alien, for their boredom-¬busters. At first, the book's use of a string of unhelpful creatures may feel random and disjointed, until a ¬final spread reveals ¬familiar miniature scenes constructed during -Minimoni's adventure, visually demonstrating to readers that the heroine intuitively tapped into her creativity to independently cure her boredom. ¬Bonilla's illustrations rendered in pencil and watercolor contribute a quality of fluidity, supporting the flowing nature of imagination. While the text and illustrations are equal partners in storytelling, each contributing unique details, the overarching story concept comes through most strongly in the recurrent depictions of imaginative playtime adventures. Minimoni and her mom have tan skin. VERDICT A simple story that ¬prescribes playful imagination as the cure for the universal condition of occasional boredom; useful for units on balancing screen time." --Emily Brush, School Library Journal

"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, make 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." --Kirkus Reviews

"Monica, better known as Minimoni, has something to do on every day of the week except for Sundays. On Sundays, she's bored! With nothing to fill the time, her imagination takes over, leading her on a series of whimsical adventures. She consults a rabbit in its burrow, visits a penguin in its icy home, rides a paper airplane across the sky to meet a whale deep in the ocean, and climbs an enormous plant to seek advice from an alien. Each encounter is sillier and more imaginative than the last, capturing the limitless wonder of a child's mind at play. The illustrations burst with color, humor, and tiny visual details that invite exploration. Together, the lively art and lighthearted tone capture both the humor and honesty of childhood boredom, when a quiet day can spark the most fantastic ideas. This charming story celebrates curiosity, creativity, and the joyful worlds that spring from a single afternoon of daydreaming." --Booklist

"Minimoni loves writing about her busy weeks in her trusty diary: there's hockey practice on Tuesdays, painting class on Thursdays, and spending quality time with her Lola on Fridays. But she absolutely dreads unscheduled and unstructured Sundays. She's slouching around one Sunday in a room full of toys, wondering what she can do to not be bored, so she starts by asking the local "mouse who lives behind the red door." The mouse doesn't know and suggests asking the rabbit, pointing Minimoni through the red door into a dirt tunnel. But the rabbit doesn't have much to offer, either, and sends her on her way to the snake, who is similarly unhelpful (and clearly annoyed). She eventually emerges from the tunnel into the chilly arctic to ask a penguin and whale, but no one seems to have the answer--not even a mysterious creature she meets when she makes her way to the moon. From author/illustrator Bonilla (In the Neighborhood, BCCB 10/22), this second book in the imaginative Minimoni series shows off Minimoni's lively personality, which will surely charm young readers as they join her on an epic spontaneous journey on a dull day. Her airy, buoyant form in the watercolor and colored-pencil vignettes that document her Monday through Saturday activities telegraphs clearly her enthusiasm and curiosity, so her Sunday body language, all slumps and slouches, makes clear her discontent. A closing spread with familiar toys, puzzles, and art supplies shows how there is always something entertaining to do in the comfort of home." --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

About the Author

Born in Barcelona in 1970, Rocio Bonilla is a children's book author and illustrator. She began her career working in painting, muralism, photography, pedagogy, and advertising, but motherhood inspired her to leave the latter to create hand-painted murals for children's spaces. In 2011, she entered publishing as an illustrator and debuted as an author in 2014. To date, she has published around 50 books, sometimes collaborating with other authors, and her award-winning work has been translated into over 20 languages. She lives in Barcelona.