A Perfect Day

By Author / Illustrator

Lane Smith

Genre

Adventure

Age range(s)

Publisher

Pan Macmillan

ISBN

9781509840557

Format

Hardback

Published

23-02-2017

Synopsis

A warm, funny picture book about a group of animals and their (not so) perfect day in the garden, from beloved author and illustrator Lane Smith.

Whether basking in the warmth of the sun, nibbling on a fresh yellow corn-on-the-cob, or cooling off in a clear pool of water, it is a truly beautiful afternoon for all . . . what could possibly go wrong?

In this follow up to the beautiful There Is a Tribe of Kids, Lane Smith's bright and fresh artwork combines with his sharp wit and enormously appealing characters to create a story full of playful chaos. Inspired by Lane Smith's real life encounter with a marauding bear, A Perfect Day is a perfect picture book for story time.

Reviews

What a simple but entirely clever story from Lane Smith, about a perfect summer day... until. Each spread oozes the sense of summer. Cat is sleeping in the flowerbed, enjoying the sun; Dog is enjoying the cool water in the wading pool; Bird is enjoying some birdseed and Squirrel a corn cob. It was a perfect day - and then bear appears and the emphasis shifts to it WAS a perfect day. Bear eats Squirrel's corn cob and Bird's seeds, drinks Dog's paddling water and takes a nap in the flowerbed. Now it's bear's perfect day. The illustrations, especially the entirely happy Bear in the flowerbed and the anxious faces peering out from the window, are wonderfully expressive . Bear is big and hogs the images, just as he does the water, food and flowerbed, but this is no 'playground bully' story, it's just Bear being a bear, although the story could well encourage children to talk about when they have felt pushed out from something they've been enjoying. It's also a useful text for learning about present and past tense - the difference between 'It was a perfect day for Cat' and 'It WAS a perfect day for Cat'. But perhaps, having read it, the best thing to do would be just to think about what makes a perfect summer day for you.... Picture book / Ages 3-6 years / Reviewed by Julie Hill.