All in a Day (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Nikki McClure (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

McClure's (Collect Raindrops) illustrations draw most of the attention here. Using an X-Acto knife and black paper, McClure suggests textures as varied as pea-plant tendrils, falling rain and the softness of a mother's body. A day is a perfect piece of time/ to live a life,/ to plant a seed, Newbery Medalist Rylant (When I Was Young in the Mountains) begins, as a young farm boy ties one shoelace and a hen pecks at the other. In spreads on alternating blue and yellow backgrounds, the boy waters his garden and gathers eggs, but also picnics, naps and, along with his mother and the hen, stretches out on his back to gaze up at the sky. End-on perspective makes their feet, noses and the hen's body the only topographical features protruding from the curve of the horizon. Underneath that great big sky/ the earth is all a-spin./ This day will soon be over/ and it won't come back again, Rylant writes. While children aren't usually moved by messages about fleeting time—that's a sentiment adults are likelier to have—they'll enjoy Rylant's rhythms and the tenderness of McClure's images. Ages 4–up. (Mar.)
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From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 4—This picture-book poem discusses the many things that can be done in a day: plant a seed, make a wish, live a life. The illustrations were each cut from a single piece of black paper using an X-Acto knife. They incorporate white spaces and play against yellow and blue backgrounds. Astonishingly detailed, the artwork evokes the feel of classic 1940s and '50s picture books. The large spreads show a boy exploring nature on his family's farm, napping in a hammock with his mother, and hiking in the woods with his father. They successfully capture the magical childhood sense that a day can go on forever. There's no denying the simple loveliness of Rylant's text in lines like "The past is sailing off to sea,/the future's fast asleep," but ultimately, the poem's "seize the day" message may be better appreciated by adults than children.—Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers; Library Binding edition (March 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810983214
• ISBN-13: 978-0810983212
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 10.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #65,490 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Book to Share with Everyone!, March 23, 2009

By	Rebecca Riddle (Murfreesboro, TN) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Book Review: All in a Day, April 5, 2009

By	T. Jonker "http://100scopenotes.wordpress.com" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Boy and his Pet Chicken Spend a Day Exploring , April 9, 2009

By	Sacramento Book Review "SacramentoBookReview.com" (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews

The words and graphics in All in a Day join together to show how a boy and his pet chicken spend a satisfying day exploring their world. Award-winning children's author Cynthia Rylant tells her story with sometimes clunky, yet oftentimes poetic and inspiring words of hope, love and joy. When the words work well together they bring about comforting images - "The past is sailing off to sea, the future's fast asleep."

Artist Nikki McClure tells her story using black and white block prints reminisce of the classic, Make Way for the Ducklings. She deftly balances a calming blue background to relax the reader, with a vibrating yellow that brings their emotions to the surface. In these two art forms blended together, the reader explores life's simple moments, like being thrilled with wonder and hope when watching a budding plant grow from a tiny seed, or feeling the love and bonding when having a simple, yet special picnic with dad in the forest. The story includes adventure when a surprise rainstorm appears and the boy and his family rescue drying clothes from a line. But undeterred by the rainy day, the boy makes the most of the day when he floats a homemade newspaper boat in a puddle. All in a Day ends on an inspiring note encouraging children to, "fill it up with you" and "See what you can do."

Reviewed by Susan L. Roberts