  | Full Text Reviews: Bulletin for the Center... - 05/01/2007 In this very short, very simple picture book, four featured animals—a bird, a dog, a fox, and a squirrel—are all having bad days. The tide turns, however (“But then . . . ), and the same animals find happy solutions to their problems. In a satisfying conclusion, a little girl finds the bird’s missing feather (the cause of his original consternation), which makes her day and leads her to frolic happily in the rural landscape among the other four contented animals. While the text is spare and the illustrations simple, there is real resonance in this tale, rooted mostly in the suggestion that bad days can turn into good days on a dime. The watercolor and brown ink illustrations are tightly focused on their subjects, and each animal is composed of bold, precise strokes and framed in a thick brown square. Facial expressions distinctly model both unhappiness and happiness, clearly indicating the animals’ mood changes. This begs to be read again and again, and it would also work very well as a writing prompt for the early elementary set as they explore what makes a bad day better. HM - Copyright 2007 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. School Library Journal - 03/01/2007 PreS-Gr 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 2007 Reed Business Information. - Copyright 2007 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 12/15/2006 *Starred Review* Playfully contradicting the title, Henke’s latest picture book begins with the words “It was a bad day.” Each of the next four spreads explains why: “Little yellow bird lost his favorite tail feather. / Little white dog got her leash all tangled up in the fence. / Little orange fox couldn’t find his mother. / And little brown squirrel dropped her nut.” Then the tone shifts, and there’s a happy reversal for each of the four animals, leading to the book’s ending—when a little girl picks up the bird’s feather, tucks it behind her ear, and calls to her mother, “What a good day!” From the reversals and the perfectly chosen words to the spirit of hope that bubbles to the surface, this story works well in every way. As precise, unaffected, and easy for a young child to understand as the text, the illustrations feature forms cleanly defined with thick black lines and brightened with watercolors. The final picture brings every story element back home in a visually and emotionally satisfying resolution. A simple picture book, expertly tuned to the emotions and imaginations of children. - Copyright 2006 Booklist. Loading...
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