Every Monday Mabel - by Jashar Awan (Hardcover)

About the Book

Every Monday Mabel takes her breakfast outside and waits for her favorite part of the week: the garbage truck.

Book Synopsis

A Caldecott Honor Book
Five starred reviews!
"An arm-pumping, truck-horn toot to each person reveling in their own 'garbage.'" --BCCB (starred review)

From the creator of I'm Going to Build a Snowman comes a "enthusiastic, delightful" (BookPage, starred review) celebration of community helpers that captures the joy and wonder of being a kid, centering around a precocious girl whose favorite day of the week is Monday.

Every Monday, Mabel wakes up early and peeks out her window to make sure she didn't miss the one thing she's been looking forward to the whole week. She drags her chair down the hallway, past her big sister and Mom and Dad, out the door, and waits.

What is Mabel waiting for every Monday? According to Mabel, it's the best thing in the world. But no one else in her family seems to understand...until they see what's honking down the street!

Review Quotes

A Caldecott Honor Book

An ALA Notable Book
A Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year
An Anna Dewdney Read-Together Honor Book
A CCBC Choices Book
A 2026 Charlotte Zolotow Highly Commended Book
A New York Public Library Best Book of 2025
A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2025
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2025
A BCCB Blue Ribbon Book
A NPR Best Book of 2025
A 2025 Good Housekeeping Kids' Book Awards Winner
A Common Sense Media Best Book of 2025
A Smithsonian Magazine Best Children's Book of 2025
One of the Evanston Public Library's 101 Great Books for Kids of 2025
The Children's Book Review Best Picture Book of 2025
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
A Texas 2x2 Reading List Selection

★ "This book's outstanding pacing, design, and tone are sure to delight truck lovers (and maybe even the truck-indifferent) alike." --Cooperative Children's Book Center, STARRED REVIEW

★ "This joyous little book celebrates how garbage trucks move, how they sound, and how they work, all from the perspective of a little girl who thinks they're the best thing ever."--Booklist, STARRED REVIEW

★ "Sure to be a favorite reread for kids and grown-ups alike, Every Monday Mabel is an enthusiastic, delightful tribute to public services and the many, many people who value and appreciate them. 'GAH-DUMP!'"--BookPage, STARRED REVIEW

★ "Children will be empowered to declare their own special events each week, while educators and parents will see that even small moments are worthy of celebration."--School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW

★ "Confidently illustrated and presented without didacticism, Mabel's story is an arm-pumping, truck-horn toot to each person reveling in their own 'garbage.'" --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, STARRED REVIEW

"Captures the excitement of anticipation, the thrill of yearning realized, and truck love among the young."--Kirkus Reviews

★ "Digital art, a blend of watercolor and cut-paper looks, employs soft shapes and strong geometric lines. Throughout, Mabel exudes the unshakable enthusiasm of a die-hard fan, and the truck, bright green with stylized details, proves a worthy object of communal adoration."--Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW

About the Author

Author-illustrator Jashar Awan won a Caldecott Honor for his picture book Every Monday Mabel. Growing up outside of Washington, DC, Jashar loved drawing and reading. In fact, he still does. For many years, he drew illustrations for publications such as The New Yorker, The New York Times, American Medical News, and Columbia Journalism Review. Jashar made his debut as an author-illustrator with What a Lucky Day!. Publishers Weekly spotlighted him as one of the most promising children's debut authors of fall 2020. His book Only Ants for Andy was selected for the 2023 and 2024 Choose to Read Ohio booklist. Jashar is also the creator of Strum & Drum: A Merry Little Quest, I'm Going to Build a Snowman, Every Monday Mabel, and Loops. He lives in Ohio with his wife, Emily, and their son, Maxwell, who loves drawing and reading, too.