Perfect Day

What could possibly be better than spending a day together? Absolutely nothing.

Turn the pages. Here is a perfect day.

Publishers Weekly

Equally simple pictures and verse shape an endearing, comforting ode to a day happily spent. A parent and child start their morning on a breezy note: "At breakfast we could talk about.../ how we might go for a walkabout." As the two lie in the grass gazing up at the sky ("Watch the clouds... imagining.../ we can do most anything"), the smiling youngster points to an image of himself, comfortably nestled in a cloud. A picnic and a frolic on the lawn with friends are followed by a loving cuddle between the duo, resting under a tree. At home, the tyke paints pictures of their day and then they "Have a bit to eat and drink./ Read from picture books and think." As the child is tucked into bed, outside the window a smiling sun sinks into the valley alongside a rising moon. Rendered in watercolor washes, Charlip's (Sleepytime Rhyme) festively hued art reinforces the book's upbeat tempo. Depicting scenarios that toddlers can easily relate to, the illustrations provide easy picture clues that will enable pre-readers-as well as those learning to sound out words-to chime in to complete the lilting, rhyming sentences. Ages 2-5. (May)

Remy Charlip is the author and artist of more than thirty books, including such modern classics as Fortunately, I Love You, Arm in Arm, Thirteen, Mother Mother I Feel Sick and, more recently, Sleepytime Rhyme and Baby Hearts and Baby Flowers. Mr. Charlip's diverse career has included performing with John Cage, dancing and designing costumes for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, cofounding the Paper Bag Players, serving as head of the Children's Theater and Literature Department at Sarah Lawrence College, winning three New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year citations, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. Remy Charlip lives in San Francisco, California.