Fans pick 100 books like A Good Day

Besides the fact that the illustrations in On a Magical Do-Nothing Day are gorgeous, I love this story of a child turning a boring, lonely, rainy day into a magical (dare I say spiritual?) adventure—an encounter with “a world full of treasures that I could feel!”

I’ve often found that a life-changing experience of beauty comes after some difficulty or personal challenge, and this kid discovers—after being ignored by their parents, losing their favorite video game in a stream, and being drenched by cold rain—a breathtaking world that seems “brand-new, as if it had been created right in front of me.” 

For a book with no words, this gorgeous picture book tells its story better than a 50,000-word novel.

Beautifully illustrated, we watch a little girl collect flowers growing up through the cracks in the sidewalk as she walks through the city streets with her father. When they come upon a dead sparrow and she gently places a bouquet on his breast, I cry every time.

Grief speaks a simple language and this children’s book reminded me how powerful one act of kindness can be. 

Beginning with a single flake falling from a gray sky, the magic and excitement of the first snow are captured perfectly in illustrations and words. Every child reader will join sides with the boy and dog who are certain there is more snow coming despite the declarations to the contrary from adults on the street. Even the predictions from the radio and television of “No snow,” are soon forgotten as the magical transformation of the whole gray city becomes reason for dancing and swirling and twirling through five enchanted spreads of wondrous snow. Every time I read this book, I look out my windows in autumn, wanting to be the first one to see that first snowflake.

This picture book perfectly captures those moonlit summer nights when the damp grass cools your bare feet and shadows cast by moonlight make mysteries and monsters around every corner. Illustrated in both black and white and full-color spreads, children dreamily dance and jump for the moon, as if caught under a magic spell. And the spell is broken by the mother calling from the door: “Children, oh children… It’s time.” “But we’re not children,” the children cry, “… we’re the Moon Jumpers!” On long winter nights I open this book to bring back sweet memories of summer.

This is one of my favorite all-time picture books! Each page identifies one “type” of quiet accompanied by a whimsical illustration with delightful animal characters. Some of my favorites are “Hide-and-seek quiet,” which shows a baby moose trying unsuccessfully to hide behind an office chair; “Lollipop quiet,” which shows a bear and a rabbit with bandages comforting themselves with lollipops; or “Top of the roller coaster quiet,” which shows an assortment of animals anticipating that fateful moment! The words and illustrations are beautifully paired and children will want to invent their own stories about each scene. A sweet, evocative, and original book that expands the notion of quiet in imaginative ways.

October lives in the woods with her father where their lives are surrounded by peace and nature. October’s life sees a drastic change after her father has an accident and needs to go to the hospital.  Suddenly, October finds herself living with her mum in the city. Katya Balen is the most beautiful writer and this book is a literary feast for the soul. 

This is another delight that we found in our local library. The illustrations and design of Little Bird’s Day are exquisite – the background colours of the page change as the story moves through the day and at night the page is covered in stars except for the outline of a bird as it dreams about flying across the sky. The story is beautiful and the artwork by Johnny Warrkatja Malibirr is outstanding. It is no surprise that this book was nominated for several book awards in 2020. It should have won all the prizes. Another excellent Indigenous author and illustrator that I hope more people will read and share with their families.

Why Did the Chicken Cross the World? might be the worst title of all time, but it is a wonderfully surprising and fascinating book. There are tasty nuggets here for everyone (sorry/not sorry for the pun). Did you know that Mexicans eat more eggs per capita than any other people in the world? Or how many different slang terms and metaphors there are for chickens through time? (“Biology can’t explain why our favored slang word for the male organ refers to a bird that lacks one.” Ha!) Or that in the mid-nineteenth century, Britain and America were absolutely obsessed with raising exotic “fancy” chickens? And that pound for pound, chicken releases only one-tenth the greenhouse gases of red meat such as hamburgers? Read up on the world’s favorite bird and laugh while you’re at it with Lawler’s book.

The information in this lift-the-flap goes deeper in describing the animals and birds that live on the savanna.

Under the flaps are nature facts such as “The song of the hoopoe bird goes ‘oop-oop-oop,” This book has more flaps per page and tinier shapes to lift, and is geared toward 2-5-year-olds. I think the information skews a little older, but this is a good introduction to the savanna. 

Sitting on the bookshelf horizontally (swing on top)—I was intrigued the moment I laid eyes on it and it did not disappoint. 

Just about every book I own is structured the same with the spine is always on the side of the book. But this book has the spine on top!  I opened the book and flipped the pages up as Mel falls down the tree. Then, through the clever illustrations and design of the text, I wound up turning the book upside and found myself flipping the pages down to make Mel fly back up the tree.  What sorcery was this?

I’ve seen many illustrators try to have readers turn a book, but I have never had such a smooth and seamless experience!