Picture Book Review - Monday is One Day by Arthur A. Levine

We've had a few days off as a family, and it's been really wonderful. Usually we are off on a trip when we have time off, but this time we decided to stick around home. It's been a fun time exploring our area, visiting a lot of parks and taking bike rides, letting Sprout play in his wading pool and just relaxing. Very lovely.

Tomorrow morning we're back to our regular routine. As much as Sprout loves getting to play with his friends at daycare, I know there's going to be some pushback about not being able to stay home with Mama and Daddy. (Not that we blame him - who's ever happy to see the weekend over??)

Fortunately there's a great book to help explain the weekday routine for working families. Arthur A. Levine's cheerful Monday is One Day fills a much-needed niche in the world of children's literature by speaking to the experience of millions of families. The book looks at each day of the week and what happens in various families when parents go to work. Every day has something that makes it special, even if parent and child can't be together. Tuesday, for instance, is "blue shoes day", with the fun of stomping in puddles - for both mama and daughter!

Accompanied by Julian Hector's sweetly comforting illustrations, Levine's text is the perfect reassurance for little ones who may be struggling with transitions into and out of the work week. It can be hard to wait for the weekend, when families are all together once again, but as the book shows, there are plenty of small, special moments to be together throughout the week. Best of all, Hector doesn't rely on just one family form, but emphasizes diversity by including single parents, two dads, and older parents. I love that this makes Monday accessible for all families.

If you're looking for a way to help ease the weekend-to-workday process in your family, Monday is One Day could just do the trick. And for working parents, this title emphasizes how much all of us treasure our time together as a family.

Monday is One Day by Arthur A. Levine, published by Scholastic
Ages 2-6
Source: Library
Sample: "And Sunday's our fun day: / A kiss and a cuddle, / A dance in a puddle, / A dinosaur huddle, / A sweet family muddle!"
Recommended

Chapter Book Review: Junonia by Kevin Henkes

The phrase "instant classic" is so overused that it's just about totally meaningless, but I'm in favor of resurrecting it for one recent read, Kevin Henkes' Junonia. A junonia, for those not in the know (which I wasn't) is a type of seashell, one that is so rare that it is highly prized among shell collectors. And in Henkes' novel, ten-year-old Alice Rice is such a collector, who hopes that this year her vacation to Sanibel Island, Florida will yield her the precious find.

Alice has been coming to Sanibel Island on vacation almost since she can remember, and she loves the rhythm and predictability of the island. Her parents always rent the same cabin, the same neighbors are usually there, and her birthday is always the highlight of the trip. But this year, it seems that nothing will go according to plan. Old friends can't make it and new friends don't live up to Alice's expectations. Especially vexing is six-year-old Mallory, who wants to do everything Alice does and whose tantrums seem to ruin everything that would otherwise be so perfect.

Henkes' novel is one of those quiet, gentle plots that unfolds just like the ebb and flow of the tides. The conflict within Alice provides the greatest tension, as she wrestles with the reality of her trip, and how things have turned out differently from her ideal version. I think there's a lot here that speaks to kids of a certain type, the kind of child who craves routine and precision and is somewhat undone when actual events don't match up to expectation. And isn't that all of us, at some time or another?

Or maybe it was just me, but I can see how watching Alice deal with the way things change in this pivotal year would offer a number of opportunities to talk with kids who are themselves undergoing change. Whether that change stems from adding another family member, a move, changing schools or moving up a grade, or just getting older, Junonia is a book that will help kids see how change, though unsettling and not easy, can also bring about a lot of positives.

And in any case, Junonia is a pitch-perfect choice for reading aloud, a book whose subtle rhythms would make for the perfect bedtime read, whether on vacation at the beach (I wish!) or snuggled up together at home.

Junonia by Kevin Henkes, published by Greenwillow
Ages 8 up
Source: Library
Sample quote: "After all, she was going to be ten. Finding a junonia would be the perfect gift. She picked up one of her new tulip shells and turned it in the light. It was covered with bluish gray and brown markings. Its inner surface was lustrous. . . . It was many things, but it wasn't a junonia." (pp 87-88)
Highly recommended