Each day is a gift

Kids express their thanks for everyday wonders. "Each day is a gift." Some are eagerly desired, like a bicycle or a trip to an amusement park, while others are a bit drearier, such as new pajamas at Christmas. Some are unexpected: A baby bird that falls from its nest is couched as "an opportunity" for a caregiver and child to show the small creature kindness. The unseen narrator adds that "some gifts feel very unwanted…the kind of gift you'd rather return or tuck out of sight to gather dust." A child whose dog has recently died sits on a porch holding a collar gloomily. "But instead of hiding it, you take a moment to hold it up to the light." The child memorializes the deceased pet in a treehouse, a hidden sanctuary. And some gifts are wonderful surprises: A child meets new neighbors, one of whom turns out to be a classmate. The tenderly reassuring text will help kids learn to weather storms, secure in the knowledge that better days are around the corner. The attractive, softly hued, painterly illustrations convey much of the book's meaning and are rife with details for observant readers. The dog who later dies is seen on an early page, and on the final spread, the child happily leads a new dog. In the book's first scene, a child yawns while a bird--perhaps the parent of the one that later falls--perches on a window. The characters are diverse. Gentle guidance for life's inevitable ups and downs.(Picture book. 4-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.