THIS IS THE DAY!

Carlstrom, author of the Jesse Bear series, offers a poetic look at the connection between God and nature, basing her free-verse text on a well-known Bible verse (“This is the day the Lord has made”). Day by day through the week, each spread offers a brief bit of advice in bold text about praising God or celebrating the wonders of nature, followed by a short, graceful description of the animals and natural wonders shown in the illustrations, which are set in the islands of the Pacific Northwest. The text uses active verbs and sensory details to draw the reader into the setting with descriptive phrases that are usually successful but sometimes a little overblown or too metaphorical for the intended audience (“Call out cloud shapes the sky has made / and watch light / walk across the water”). Cowdrey’s realistic paintings capture the intriguing birds and beasts of the area, from herons and eagles to harbor seals and orca whales, with a dandy orca breaching on the front cover. (Picture book/religion. 4-7)