A Good Day [Hardcover]

Kevin Henkes (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 1 and up

It started out as a bad day for little yellow bird, little white dog, little orange fox, and little brown squirrel. Until . . .

A discovery, and love, and luck and persistence, and a different point of view changed all that. What can turn a bad day into a good day? You decide.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Henkes's latest combines the thick black line of his Caldecott Medal–winning Kitten's First Full Moon with the vivid palette of his mouse books to showcase a soothing story about turning lemons into lemonade. Four animals—a sun-yellow bird, a white terrier, an orange fox and a brown squirrel—face 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 losses—of self, freedom, love and food—as 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 © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 1—Employing 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 © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 1 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books; 1ST edition (February 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006114018X
• ISBN-13: 978-0061140181
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 9.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #72,227 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kevin Henkes is the creator of many distinguished books for children, including Kitten's First Full Moon (winner of the Caldecott Medal), Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, and Chrysanthemum. His novels for young people include Olive's Ocean (a Newbery Honor Book) and Bird Lake Moon.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic lesson, April 4, 2007

By 

DCSenators (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Good Day (Hardcover)

I have a 2 month old son, so I cannot say whether HE will like this book as much as I do, but I think it is wonderful. The illustrations are beautiful, the wording is limited simple, and the lesson important: even when things get you down, it will get better. Best of all, and uniquely, the loss of the feather for the little bird not only was forgotten by him, but made the day of a little girl who found it. I am a big fan of books that help kids learn how to make the most of life, and I think this one fits that bill completely.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great illustrations, important message, April 12, 2007

By 

D. Smith - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Good Day (Hardcover)

Great books for adults and kids about how bad days can turn around and become good days. Perfect for days when parents have a shorter fuse than usual and the kids seem to get upset about everything. Appropriate for toddlers to grade-schoolers (and their parents). Henkes' illustrations are as charming as ever and the text is clear and easy to read. Excellent addition to any child's home library.

45 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Everything to gain, and nothing to lose. A good day from morning to night., March 3, 2007

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Good Day (Hardcover)

I don't know why a person should even bother going ahead and reviewing a Kevin Henkes book. I mean, what am I going to tell you here that you don't already know about the man? Uh, that he's brilliant with simple texts? Yeah, I think the world is aware of that already. That he can give a visual approximation of anxiety in such a way that the kids reading the book are able to feel for the characters on a deeply intimate level? Again, no surprises. Still, here before me sits his newest book, "A Good Day", and already I feel a deep and abiding affection for it. The average everyday children's book reviewer doesn't exist in this world simply to bring much deserved attention to new authors and artists (though that is one of the perks). They also bring much deserved attention to those books that may one day be deemed "classic". And while I don't know if "A Good Day" will ever be mentioned in hushed tones alongside "Goodnight Moon" and "Curious George", I can say with absolute certainty that it will be loved and beloved by millions of children for decades and decades on end.

Usually this is the part where I summarize the story. This isn't the easiest task when it comes to picture books, since the summarization sometimes exceeds the length of the story itself. This is definitely the case here. In this particular book, four animals are having a bad time of it. A squirrel has lost a nut, a fox her mother, a bird his feather, and a dog is tangled in her leash. "But then...", the squirrel finds a bigger nut, the fox finds his mother, the dog works herself free, and the bird soars the highest she's ever soared. To top it all off a little girl finds an absolutely perfect feather, and with all the happy animals situated nearby she runs into the house with a triumphant, "Mama! What a good day!" Told with big beautiful pictures, easy words, and a storyline that is simple to follow, the book comes across as an ultimately satisfying read.

I have always believed that it is far more difficult to create a simple book than a complicated one for kids. "Harold and the Purple Crayon" or "Madeline" look easy, but then you have to realize how important tone, wordplay, and memorable characters were to the storytelling process. When Henkes won the Caldecott for "Kitten's First Full Moon", the book was relying heavily on the simplicity of the story. "A Good Day" does the same thing, but it splits the narrative into five different tales. In both cases, Henkes creates anxious characters who extricate themselves from their pseudo-dire situations just in time for a satisfying ending. Heck, the book even comes up with a philosophical question appropriate for the Kindergarten set; mainly, what constitutes, "a good day"? If something bad happens in that day but you shrug it off, does that make the day better or worse? I'm not suggesting that reading this book to your children will lead them on the path of Kierkegaard and Derrida. It's just nice to have a title where, after reading it, you can turn to the little one beside you and ask, "Do you think everyone had a good day?" Nothing wrong with a book that causes a little thinking once in a while.

Doesn't hurt any that I personally feel that the art of Henkes is getting better all the time. While the "Lilly" books and older titles like "Jessica" relied on thin pen lines and small details, when Henkes skews younger he tends to thicken his lines and brighten his colors. Each act in this book is preceded by a multi-colored page of alternating rainbow stripes (which, if you look carefully, match the little girl's shirt) alongside a second page that is all white except for the words, "It was a bad day..." or "But then..." Each animal is then presented with the characteristic big, white, worried eyeballs and furrowed brow. Colors are crisp and clear and when everyone reaches their own personal version of happiness Henkes knows better than anyone how to draw full-blown contentment.

But again, why should I even bother telling you this? If you know Henkes and you read Henkes then it wouldn't matter if I said this book was akin to the lowest form of puss-filled pond scum. You'd brush off my comments and buy the book anyway because over the years you have grown to love and trust Kevin Henkes. Heaven help us all if the man ever comes up with a book that doesn't knock our expectations clean out of the park. As it stands, this is a good book. Go and buy it and it will make a small child somewhere happy. Nuff said.