All in a Day (Picture Book)

Released March 2009

www.abramsbooks.com

Reviewed by Deb Fowler

A little boy crouches down to tie his shoes while his pet chicken leans to pull one lace and help him out. A squirrel off to their right starts his day by cracking open a nut. After he climbs a birch tree to glance at the sun, it is time to tend to the work of the day. The garden needs hoeing and watering and the chicken is right there to help rid the garden of those little insect pests. His parents are busy hanging the wash on the line. There is even a tiny bee busy pollinating the pole beans. There’s a lot to be done each and every day.

“A day brings hope
and kindness, too . . .
A day is all its own.”

Oh, no . . . a dreadful thing has happened. The boy had dropped and broken the chicken’s egg. She looks down at it as he covers his eyes in sadness.

“You can make a wish,
and start again,
you can find your way back home.”

The boy cuddles up with his father on the hammock. Later they take a walk in the woods to listen to the birds and look for the animals in the forest. They snack on the apples they have in their basket. It’s time to go home. There’s more work to be done to finish the day.

This is a lovely book that imparts the message that every day is special and everyone counts. Some things that seem disastrous at the time can actually bring positive things in the future. The rhyming sequence is soft and has a nice lilt to it. The block print art work with assorted pastel backgrounds is very appealing. This would be a nice read and discuss book in any homeschool or classroom setting. “All in a Day” will be one of those memorable classics you’ll want to add to your shelves.