A Good Day

A Good Day, by Kevin Henkes, is from the 2008 Notable Books for Children List. What a precious book this is! In short, simple text we read about a little yellow bird who lost a feather, a little white dog whose leash got tangled in a fence, a little orange fox who misplaced his mother, and a little brown squirrel who dropped her nut. Then we turn the page and learn about how each one overcame their misfortune in easy ways. The squirrel found a bigger nut, the fox found his mother, the dog worked herself free, and the bird forgot about the feather. Plus, a little girl found the feather and exclaimed to her mother, “What a good day!” This book would be a great lead-in to a discussion about problem-solving with young children. All kids have had some misfortune happen to them, and like these animals, they initially don’t see how to solve their problems. But if they have patience and persevere, they can solve their problem, or the problem will eventually work itself out.