ONE BUSY DAY
A Story for Big Brothers and Sisters
by Lola M. Schaefer ; illustrated by Jessica Meserve
In this sequel to their excellent new-baby story, One Special Day (2012), Schaefer and Meserve depict a growing sibling bond between big brother Spencer and little sister Mia.
No longer a baby, Mia longs to play with Spencer. “But he was always too busy.” Mia gets busy all by herself and engages in solitary imaginative play. Taking a page from Ian Falconer’s Olivia (2000), whose heroine imagines herself as Maria Callas (among other luminaries), Meserve’s art cleverly extends the text to expound upon plucky Mia’s imaginative flights of fancy. For example, she goes exploring under a fort of chairs and blankets, but a page turn reveals her to be not in a dining room but in “a deep, dark cave” complete with drawings reminiscent of those discovered in Lascaux. All the while, Spencer observes his little sister’s play and is soon enticed to join in on the fun, much to her delight. The pleasing text culminates in a circular ending that showcases the pair as “busy. Very, very busy—together.” Throughout, Meserve’s digitally rendered illustrations employ soft visual texture and bold colors to create a cheery, charming world for the two children to enjoy.
Hooray for sibling revelry! (Picture book. 3-6)