I'm Very Busy: A (Nearly Forgotten) Birthday Book -- Oliver Jeffers, Hardcover

A poignant--and laugh-out-loud funny--story about our busy lives and how we can fix our mistakes to show our friends how much we care.

It's Bridget's birthday, and she thinks it would be fun to spend the day with friends. But Royal has places to go, Rodney has to see a man about a dog, Regis has to wash his hair, and Pearl has a list of items she needs to cross off as quickly as she can. Bridget's friends are all too busy to hang out!

Will Bridget have to spend her birthday all alone?

In a story that shows how friends are more important than the busy-ness of a day, Oliver Jeffers' bold and brilliant art pair with a powerful story that makes readers realize what truly matters.

Author: Oliver Jeffers
Publisher: Philomel Books
Published: 10/07/2025
Pages: 32
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.25lbs
ISBN: 9780593622308
Audience: Ages 4-8

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 06/30/2025
Kirkus Reviews 07/01/2025

About the Author
Oliver Jeffers is a visual artist and author working in painting, bookmaking, illustration, collage, performance and sculpture. His engagements and practice are truly international in scope. His critically acclaimed picture books have been the recipients of numerous awards, including a New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books Award, TIME Best Book of the Year, Bologna Ragazzi Award, an Irish Book Award, a United Kingdom Literary Association Award, and two Emmy Awards for the Apple TV adaptation of Here We Are: Notes For Living on Planet Earth. He has exhibited at institutions such as the Brooklyn Museum in New York, the National Portrait Gallery in London, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Jeffers' work is currently featured in the new long-term exhibition "Building Stories" at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC. He also recently received a Member of the Order of the British Empire Award (MBE) for his Services in Art.