A Good Day

by Kevin Henkes (Author) Kevin Henkes (Illustrator)

Reading Level: K − 1st Grade
The Caldecott Medal-winning artist ("Kitten's First Full Moon") returns with a masterful new picture book that looks at a single day from five points of view. Full color.
Select format:
Board Books
$9.99

Publishers Weekly

Henkes's latest combines the thick black line of his Caldecott Medalwinning" Kitten's First Full Moon" with the vivid palette of his mouse books to showcase a soothing story about turning lemons into lemonade. Four animalsa sun-yellow bird, a white terrier, an orange fox and a brown squirrelface small disappointments that threaten to ruin their moods. The bird loses a prized tail feather, the dog tangles his leash around the fence, the fox has lost sight of his mother, and a meaty acorn plummets out of squirrel's grasp. But before even a hint of gloom can settle over an otherwise sunny day, Henkes briskly reverses gears and reveals these momentary lossesof self, freedom, love and foodas gains. The skillful circularity of this simple tale is capped by a nameless barefoot girl who finds the bird's "perfect yellow feather" and jauntily tucks it behind one ear. "Mama! What a good day!" she cries, running into the house in a wide angle shot that shows each of the story's other creatures at home in her front yard. A perfectly pleasing parable for the lap-reading crowd, who will find reassurance in the way each animal conquers an obstacle and finds his or her reward. All ages. "(Mar.)" Copyright 2006 Publishers Weekly Used with permission.

School Library Journal

Starred Review
PreS-Gr 1Employing the thick lines and uncluttered illustrations reminiscent of his work in "Kitten's First Full Moon" (Greenwillow, 2004), Henkes tells the story of four creatures who start out having a bad day. A bird loses his favorite feather, a dog gets her leash tangled in a fence, a fox loses his mother, and a squirrel drops her nut. But then, the squirrel finds an even bigger nut, the fox is reunited with his mother, the dog frees her leash, and the bird discovers he can fly higher than ever, even without his feather. The animals' triumphant expressions and perky postures, in sharp contrast to their former dejected demeanors, bear witness to the fact that the bad day has turned out to be a good one after all. In a surprising twist, a young girl finds the bird's feather, "tuck[s] it behind her ear," and runs to her mother shouting, "What a good day!" A reprise of all four creatures in the last scene as the excited child seeks out her parent is the perfect conclusion. Full-page, pastel-hued watercolor-and-ink illustrations appear framed opposite each page of large, brief text. This gentle story affords an opportunity to introduce the very young to ways of dealing with life's small disappointments. A fine choice for the lap set."Marianne Saccardi, formerly at Norwalk Community College, CT" Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"An almost perfect picture book ....It must be said: Kevin Henkes is a genius."—New York Times Book Review
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780061857782
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Greenwillow Books
Publication date
February 01, 2010
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV039050 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Emotions & Feelings
JUV002000 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | General
Library of Congress categories
Animals
Day
Midwest Booksellers' Choice Award
Winner 2007 - 2007

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