The great day

Tarō Gomi

Book - 2014

In simple text this book follows the daily activities of a young boy who is always the first in every activity--waking up, eating breakfast, playing, and getting ready for bed.

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jE/Gomi
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Location Call Number   Status
Children's Room jE/Gomi Checked In
Subjects
Genres
Picture books
Published
San Francisco : Chronicle Books LLC 2014.
Language
English
Main Author
Tarō Gomi (author)
Edition
First Chronicle Books LLC edition
Item Description
New translation of: Ichiban hajime ni.
Previously published under the title: First comes Harry.
Physical Description
1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 24 cm
ISBN
9781452111254
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

Parents reading this to their youngsters will appreciate the subtext about good behavior, even as the little ones learn that falling down, crying, arguing with a friend, laughing, playing, and resolving an argument are all part of a normal, great day. Colorful minimalist illustrations depict the boy's mishaps and adventures (getting dressed by himself, jumping over garbage cans, crying on the playground, etc.) in images that are at once quiet as a silent animated film and as rambunctious as a little boy's temperament. This is well suited to repeat bedtime readings, which ought to lead drowsy children to recognize that their own great day has left them so tired there's nothing left to do but sleep. Gomi's message about appreciating the ordinariness of things will be familiar to readers who know his books My Friends (1990) and Everyone Poops (1993).--Chaudhri, Amina Copyright 2014 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

If evidence is needed of Gomi's persistent, perennial appeal, look no further than this story about an energetic boy, which was first published 30 years ago in Japan. The artist's round-headed figures and economy of line are instantly recognizable; humor comes from their very simplicity, and saturated blues and umbers add warmth and depth. In the dark of the early morning, a round brown head pops up behind a striped blanket. "The first to wake up was the boy. Second was the alarm clock." At the breakfast table, the boy's bleary-eyed father sips coffee, and his mother yawns. The boy, though, has cleaned his plate already. At the playground, he's unstoppable: "He was the first to climb up a slide! He was first to fall down the slide, too." It won't surprise parents to find out that he's also the first to run out of steam. His eyes close at the dinner table, and he's the first into bed: "Goodnight." There's no fuss or muss in Gomi's delivery-just right for those who want to be the first to finish the book. Ages 2-4. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review

PreS-Gr 1-A day dawns: "The first to wake up was the boy. Second was the alarm clock." The youngster is the first to get dressed, eat breakfast, and head out the door. This enthusiasm continues on the playground: "He was the first to climb up a slide! He was first to fall down the slide, too." The young bon vivant delights in leading his friends in a "marching song" and watching an "airplane's trail in the sky" while doing a handstand. By dinnertime, he's tuckered out from his adventures and is the first into bed. Simple sentences invite readers into the child's daily routine. Gomi's bold, clean design features warm colors and appealing, round-headed characters. A charming celebration of the pleasures of an ordinary day.-Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review

This story follows a small boy through a day which begins with him being the first to wake up, then the first to get dressed, and so on. But being first isn't always positive for him. Preschoolers won't miss the silly details as bold colors and blocky figures show a brown-skinned boy engaged in daily routines. This resized edition was previously published as First Comes Harry. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

An upbeat tale of a superachiever first published in English in 1987 as First Comes Harry, newly retranslated by Hajimeni. The nameless protagonist, a boy, is the first to wake up, get dressed, brush his teeth, eat breakfast, leap out the door, jump over a trash can and run up a slide. He is the first to fall down and cry, but he's also the first to laugh. He is the first to argue, the first to make up, and the first to march and do a handstand. His frantically busy day tires him out, so naturally, he is the first to finish dinner and the first to fall asleep. One of many older books by Japanese author-illustrator Gomi to be recently retranslated into English, this is a good example of how well they stand the test of time. The understated flat wash style with navely rendered figures, lack of perspective and simple shapes is instantly appealing to the youngest children, even if they can't read yet. On some pages, the washes of flat color sometimes seem too large and uninteresting for the content; conceivably these illustrations would be better suited to a smaller format similar to Gomi's board books. On balance, the book is original and refreshingly lacking in sugary cutenessa keeper indeed. (Picture book. 2-4)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.