Right around the time that Zadie started to take an interest in reading–rather than eating–books, I read a glowing review of Keven Henkes’ “Old Bear,” about a hibernating bear who dreams about the cycle of the seasons. I had to hold myself back from buying it immediately, knowing that our 8-month old would shred the “creamy paper” with its “rhythmical and cadenced” words with the same exuberance she brought to the Sunday paper. But Henkes stayed on my radar and here we are almost exactly a year later, happily able to dive into his books.
Our local library doesn’t seem to have a copy of “Old Bear,” so our first Henkes book was “A Good Day.” The book starts off with four animals having a bad day: a bird who has lost his favorite tail feather, a squirrel who dropped her nut, a dog tangled in her leash, and a fox who can’t find his mother. Then the day turns around and each of the animals finds happiness. Just as in real (even grown-up) life, each animal handles his situation differently. The bird changes his perspective and ends up flying higher than ever before while the puppy works herself free so that she can run again. In a gentle way, the book encourages us not to dwell on things that disappoint and to work through difficult situations.
The text on each page is short, which makes it perfect for little ones who are moving beyond board books but are sometimes overly eager to turn the page. And I love love love the illustrations, which are watercolor and ink but almost look like woodcuts. After just a reading or two, little Z had picked up on each animal’s emotions–a testament to Henkes’ ability to portray both sadness and joy. I was sad to take this one back to the library this afternoon, but am quite excited that we’re getting Z “Kitten’s First Full Moon” for Christmas.
Tags: 18 months +, animals, emotions, henkes, watercolor
We got “Old Bear” from SMPL a couple months ago, so they do have it. Also, we have several Henkes books if you want to borrow them or read them next time you’re at our place. “Owen” is really sweet.
Love this new blog, Kristy!!
Thanks, Sarah. We should definitely start swapping books.
Oh Kristy, we love your blog! This book is such a sweet soft book with a kind view of life. Thank you for introducing it to us!