THE BIG DAY

Come one, come all, to the biggest ceremony of the year!

A child receives an invitation to the wedding of two male giants. Surrounded by witches, wizards, goblins, and other fantastical creatures, the protagonist takes a seat in the church and witnesses the grooms’ declaration of love. After dining on confections such as “creamy rainbow root soup” and “pickled dragon’s breath with pink lotus fries” and listening to a litany of speeches at the reception, the child pipes up: “Why was I invited? Was it a mistake?” One of the grooms charges the child with sending back “a message for all: / Love is just love, whether GIANT or small.” Plummer’s first-person text features an AABB rhyme structure that, at times, feels forced (“The other held sky that bright stars wandered through. / He said this was something old, borrowed, and blue”). With their dark blue and purple palette, the illustrations capture the energy of the blessed event and the joy on the faces of the attendees. Unfortunately, the text is set against similarly colored backdrops, occasionally making it difficult to read. Still, the mood is festive, and though the takeaway is simple, it’s affirming. The young protagonist is brown-skinned, one of the giants is pale-skinned and pointy-eared with a bushy red beard, and the other giant is tan-skinned and dark-haired. The wedding guests are diverse in skin tone.

A sweet look at love and commitment.