This is the Day! by Nancy White Carlstrom has some of the most beautiful illustrations I've ever seen in a children's book. They cover each and every page. The scenes are gorgeous, depicting the beauty of the earth, such as animals, oceans, meadows, forests, waterfalls, and coasts. Simply breath-taking!
Unfortunately, I didn't feel that the text could equal the beauty of the illustrations. The way the text appeared led me to believe that it was going to be poetic and yet I could find no poetic rhyme to it. The theology of celebrating God's creation because "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24) is questionable. The psalmist may not be exhorting his readers to rejoice in Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and so forth, as the author leads us to believe. In fact, the "day" the psalmist is referring to may have another meaning entirely - that of the day when Christ returns. All in all, it is definitely a wonderful book to look at. The encouragement to rejoice in God's creation every day is a good reminder and, yet, to use a debated Bible verse to promote this concept made it difficult for me to read. -- Jennifer Joneleit, www.ChristianBookPreviews.com
Each day of the week our world holds a new surprise if we pay attention to what God has given us.
It is both the unnoticed cottonwood seed floating in the air and the familiar ravenís call that prompts children to listen, touch, be surprised, laugh, and celebrate the wonder of their creator and the beauty of creation. This enchantingly poetic story will delight children as they discover new ways to appreciate and interact with the world around them.