This is the Day! [Hardcover]

Phillis Gershator (Author), Marjorie A. Priceman (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

Babies: adorable, irresistible, lovable babies. And they are waiting for you to kiss their toes, sing them lullabies, and rock them to sleep. All you have to do is make room on your bike, or your ship, or your hot-air balloon! Sing along, because this is the day we give babies away—tra la and fiddle de dee.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Priceman's dreamlike watercolors are a joy to behold, and Gershator's adaptation of the song retains a buoyant musical quality.
--Kirkus 9/1/07 Kirkus Reviews

"Gershator's cheery adaptation of a traditional song from the 1900s is perfectly complemented by Priceman's breezy watercolor illustrations." SLJ Nov/07 School Library Journal

"[V]isually oriented children may enjoy spotting the various ways that Priceman pays homage to Ludwig Bemelmans..." PW 10/29/07 Publishers Weekly

"The fanciful verses roll along." Booklist 02/15/08 Booklist, ALA

About the Author

Marjorie Priceman has illustrated many books for children, including the Caldecott Honor-winning books Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin and Hot Air: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride. Marjorie lives in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.

Phillis Gershator was inspired by a traditional song to tell this story about twenty-eight babies and seven happy adoptions. A former children's librarian, she is also the author of several books for young readers, including Sky Sweeper, The Babysitter Sings, and Rata-Pata-Fata-Scata. Phillis lives with her husband, her frequent coauthor, on the island of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (October 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618497463
• ISBN-13: 978-0618497461
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 10.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,084,114 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A lovely book for kids--adopted or not, May 23, 2008

By 

China Mom (West Coast) - See all my reviews

This review is from: This is the Day! (Hardcover)

As an adoptive mom, I know what a sensitive topic adoption can be--and how touchy various depictions of the adoption process, from either side, often are. But I'd hate to see us all become so hyper-sensitized that we reject a lovely, lyrical book like _This is the Day_ out of some misguided protective impulse. My daughter, 5 1/2, is fascinated by all aspects of adoption, and I won't hesitate to include this playful, quaint, and fanciful tale among our reading. The "folks" roots of this tale and Price's effervescent illustrations make the fantastical, mythical nature of the story clear to all but the very youngest or most literal minds. My daughter finds _This is the Day_ as charmingly preposterous as (and infinitely less creepy than) _The Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly_. A beautiful addition to a child's read-aloud library.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Folksy and Wonderful, May 23, 2008

By 

NorthwestBookLover (Tacoma, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: This is the Day! (Hardcover)

An adaptation of a folk song stretching back at least a century, This is the Day! presents its subject of newborn babies and adoption in lighthearted verse. While the origins of the folksong are lost in mists of the past (the title page speculates that the song comes from the Ozarks, the American West, or WWII soldiers), Phillis Gershator modernizes it in a way that gets the tone just right. Out of curiosity, I "googled" the original folksong to find the lines, "This is the day we give babies away/ With a half a pound of tea/ You just open the lid, and out pops the kid / With a twelve month guarantee." But what began in its historical form as a nonsense rhyme becomes with Gershator's deft revision much lovelier, fitting verse: "They're waiting for you to / kiss their toes / sing lullabies, / and rock them to sleep." Marjorie Priceman's airy illustrations complement the story perfectly with her lush palette of primary watercolors. Any parent who has ever experienced their toddler pointing and exclaiming, "Look, another baby!" will immediately understand the appeal of this wonderful, folksy book.

1.0 out of 5 stars This book made me cringe, June 5, 2010

By 

Ciara S. - See all my reviews

This review is from: This is the Day! (Hardcover)

Add me to the group who find this book creepy. Babies being handed out like free toasters---what a horrible view of adoption.