Customer Reviews

All in a Day

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

All in a Day is a throwback, no question. A simple storyline with gentle, poetic text, a limited color palate of black, blue, and yellow, and bold paper-cut illustrations all add up to a retro feel. In appearance, it looks like it could have fit in if it was published right alongside Marcia Brown's 1961 masterpiece Once a Mouse. For those reasons (as so often things that seem "old-fashioned" tend to be) it's not a crowd-pleaser. All in a Day isn't a book kids will be begging their parents to buy. It is, however, a stunningly illustrated book that deserves to be shared.

The theme here is living life to its fullest. The tone is one of wonderment. As the title implies, the storyline follows a dark-haired boy through one long, beautiful summer day in the country. Working in the garden, feeding the animals, playing games, taking a nap, exploring the wilderness - it's a full day. The spare text is a rhyming poem that appears in small bursts on each two-page spread. It may not please all readers. The first time reading, I was one of them. I thought the text might tackle themes too difficult for children to wrap their heads around. Cynthia Rylant challenges the reader here, it it may be off-putting to some, but the illustrations lend a good dose of clarity.

Aside from enhancing the text, the artwork is just plain beautiful. Nikki McClure employs a time consuming cut-paper technique where every line on the page is interconnected. The colors are later added by computer. Each turn of the page brings a switch in the background color from blue to yellow. It's the sort of art that takes on a whole new meaning when you consider how it was created. Look no further than the rainstorm scene - it will have you wondering how McClure pulled it off. The children's lit blog A Fuse #8 Production recently mentioned All in a Day as a possible early Caldecott contender - the illustrations absolutely merit that sort of discussion.

Now this isn't the kind of book that will jump up and down and declare its presence, slaying during read-aloud and wowing you with hipness or humor. But give it a chance. Quiet, beautiful books like this have a tendency to grow on readers.

What a lovely message for people of all ages. As I read this book with my friend's daughter, it struck me how it applied to my own life. The message seems simple, but it's so important - to make each day count. Every day brings hope and a fresh start if we choose to take it. The illustrations are amazing -- so beautiful yet clever and humorous. I chuckled out loud a few times as I read and looked. I closed the book with a smile on my face. Then five minutes later I opened it again. Every time I look at it, I see something I missed before. I'm a big fan of the chicken who even helps with the laundry! I recommend this book for people between the ages of 2 and 102.

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.

Beautifully illustrated and sweet story. My 2 year old son isn't as interested in this book as I am, but with time I think he will be.

This is a beautiful book, in text and illustrations. It's a book for babies on up. My daughter, who is three, loves it, and her cousins, five and seven, do too. Nikki McClure's "The First 1000 Days," a baby book, is fabulous too.

Simple illustrations and simple sentences but such depth. The beautiful and positive thoughts come right out of this book and lift one up. It held my kids' attention OK but honestly spoke to my heart more than theirs. I have an adult family member who is coming out of a dark place right now and I bought a copy for her. She said after she read it, hope filled her heart for today. Just absolutely beautiful.

This simply illustrated and written book is written at a child's level. Children get an incredible amount of joy from the simplest activities and this book celebrates the simple things they enjoy like planting a seed, making wishes on dandelions, playing in the rain.

The illustrations are simple, almost like wood etchings. The story is of simple things that can give both kids and grown ups joy.

I have purchased 2 of these for birthday gifts I found it to be a great message for all ages !!!All in a Day

Message sweet. Meant more for adults. Was recommended by relative. Mostly black and white so little ones aren't so interested. Thin paperback. Nicely illustrated.

Gave this book to my great granddaughter who enjoys reading, she liked this book very much. I will be buying her more books to incourage her to read, read, read.