Donald Says Thumbs Down

Donald can dress himself and eat without making a mess, but the thumb is another matter entirely. Nancy Evans Cooney's 1987 picture book follows him through a series of failed remedies — mittens, beet juice, sitting on his hands — before his mother invents a redirection game called 'Donald Says,' a kind of Simon Says that turns the urge into a positive activity: baking cookies, taking a walk, puppet play. The book's real strength is the non-shaming, patient parenting it models, and it gives parents a concrete, usable strategy rather than just sympathy. Maxie Chambliss's illustrations and the cultural context are dated, and formal critical coverage for a 1987 niche title is predictably thin. But for families navigating this very specific and very common challenge, this remains a gentle, practical, and warmly encouraging read.