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Name: A Good Day: Henkes, Kevin, Henkes, Kevin: 9780061140181: Amazon.com: Books
Price: 15.99 USD
Availability: LimitedAvailability
Rating: 4.7 (225 reviews)

Kevin Henkes

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A Good Day Hardcover – Picture Book, February 27, 2007

by Kevin Henkes (Author, Illustrator)

4.7 225 ratings

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A bad day can turn into a good one! Caldecott Medalist Kevin Henkes's masterful picture book explores a single day from five different points of view.

It’s a bad day for a little yellow bird who loses his favorite tail feather, a little white dog whose leash gets tangled, a little orange fox who can’t find his mother, and a little brown squirrel who drops her nut. But then something good happens to each of them, turning a bad day into a good one.

What makes a good day? What makes a bad day? And how can bad be transformed into good?

This exploration of opposites and emotions was described as "a deceptively simple picture book, expertly tuned to the emotions and imaginations of young children" by ALA Booklist in a starred review.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Henkes's latest combines the thick black line of his Caldecott Medal–winning Kitten's First Full Moon with the vivid palette of his mouse books to showcase a soothing story about turning lemons into lemonade. Four animals—a sun-yellow bird, a white terrier, an orange fox and a brown squirrel—face small disappointments that threaten to ruin their moods. The bird loses a prized tail feather, the dog tangles his leash around the fence, the fox has lost sight of his mother, and a meaty acorn plummets out of squirrel's grasp. But before even a hint of gloom can settle over an otherwise sunny day, Henkes briskly reverses gears and reveals these momentary losses—of self, freedom, love and food—as gains. The skillful circularity of this simple tale is capped by a nameless barefoot girl who finds the bird's "perfect yellow feather" and jauntily tucks it behind one ear. "Mama! What a good day!" she cries, running into the house in a wide angle shot that shows each of the story's other creatures at home in her front yard. A perfectly pleasing parable for the lap-reading crowd, who will find reassurance in the way each animal conquers an obstacle and finds his or her reward. All ages. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 1—Employing the thick lines and uncluttered illustrations reminiscent of his work in Kitten's First Full Moon (Greenwillow, 2004), Henkes tells the story of four creatures who start out having a bad day. A bird loses his favorite feather, a dog gets her leash tangled in a fence, a fox loses his mother, and a squirrel drops her nut. But then, the squirrel finds an even bigger nut, the fox is reunited with his mother, the dog frees her leash, and the bird discovers he can fly higher than ever, even without his feather. The animals' triumphant expressions and perky postures, in sharp contrast to their former dejected demeanors, bear witness to the fact that the bad day has turned out to be a good one after all. In a surprising twist, a young girl finds the bird's feather, "tuck[s] it behind her ear," and runs to her mother shouting, "What a good day!" A reprise of all four creatures in the last scene as the excited child seeks out her parent is the perfect conclusion. Full-page, pastel-hued watercolor-and-ink illustrations appear framed opposite each page of large, brief text. This gentle story affords an opportunity to introduce the very young to ways of dealing with life's small disappointments. A fine choice for the lap set.—Marianne Saccardi, formerly at Norwalk Community College, CT
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Playfully contradicting the title, Henke's latest picture book begins with the words "It was a bad day." Each of the next four spreads explains why: "Little yellow bird lost his favorite tail feather. / Little white dog got her leash all tangled up in the fence. / Little orange fox couldn't find his mother. / And little brown squirrel dropped her nut." Then the tone shifts, and there's a happy reversal for each of the four animals, leading to the book's ending--when a little girl picks up the bird's feather, tucks it behind her ear, and calls to her mother, "What a good day!" From the reversals and the perfectly chosen words to the spirit of hope that bubbles to the surface, this story works well in every way. As precise, unaffected, and easy for a young child to understand as the text, the illustrations feature forms cleanly defined with thick black lines and brightened with watercolors. The final picture brings every story element back home in a visually and emotionally satisfying resolution. A simple picture book, expertly tuned to the emotions and imaginations of children. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

“An almost perfect picture book .…It must be said: Kevin Henkes is a genius.” — New York Times Book Review

“Deeply satisfying. …Henkes’s illustrations…speak volumes through simple details, managing to express pure joy in just the arched shape of an eye or the angle of an ear. … A Good Day is the rare example of near-perfection in a picture book.” — Horn Book (starred review)

“A deceptively simple picture book, expertly tuned to the emotions and imaginations of young children.” — Booklist (starred review)

“A glorious celebration of the simple joys of childhood.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“A fine choice for the lap set.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

“There is real resonance in this tale, rooted mostly in the suggestion that bad days can turn into good days on a dime.… This begs to be read again and again.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“Sublimely simple.” — Washington Post Book World

From the Back Cover

It started out as a bad day for little yellow bird, little white dog, little orange fox, and little brown squirrel. Until . . .

A discovery, and love, and luck and persistence, and a different point of view changed all that. What can turn a bad day into a good day? You decide.

About the Author

Kevin Henkes has been praised both as a writer and as an illustrator and is the recipient of the Children’s Literature Legacy Award for his lasting contribution to literature for children. He received the Caldecott Medal for Kitten’s First Full Moon; Caldecott Honors for Waiting and Owen; two Newbery Honors, one for Olive’s Ocean and one for The Year of Billy Miller;and Geisel Honors for Waiting and Penny and Her Marble. His other books include The World and Everything in It, A House, A Parade of Elephants, Chrysanthemum, and the beloved Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse. Kevin Henkes lives with his family in Madison, Wisconsin.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Greenwillow Books; First Edition (February 27, 2007)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 32 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 006114018X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0061140181
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 1 - 3 years, from customers
Grade level ‏ : ‎ Preschool - 3
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9 x 0.38 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #968,553 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,782 in Children's Mouse, Hamster, Guinea Pig & Squirrel Books
- #2,338 in Children's Bird Books (Books)
- #7,943 in Children's Books on Emotions & Feelings (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.7 225 ratings

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Kevin Henkes

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Kevin Henkes is the author and illustrator of close to fifty critically acclaimed and award-winning picture books, beginning readers, and novels. He received the Caldecott Medal for Kitten’s First Full Moon in 2005. Kevin Henkes is also the creator of a number of picture books featuring his mouse characters, including the #1 New York Times bestsellers Lilly’s Big Day and Wemberly Worried, the Caldecott Honor Book Owen, and the beloved Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse. His most recent mouse character, Penny, was introduced in Penny and Her Song (2012); her story continued in Penny and Her Doll and Penny and Her Marble (a Geisel Honor Book). Bruce Handy, in a New York Times Book Review piece about A Good Day, wrote, “It should be said: Kevin Henkes is a genius.” Kevin Henkes received two Newbery Honors for novels—one for his newest novel for young readers, The Year of Billy Miller, and the other for Olive’s Ocean. Also among his fiction for older readers are the novels Junonia, Bird Lake Moon, The Birthday Room, and Sun & Spoon. He lives with his family in Madison, Wisconsin. You can visit him online at www.kevinhenkes.com.

Customer reviews

225 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book has a positive message that encourages children and gives them hope. They appreciate the clear, colorful illustrations and graphics. The story is described as charming, inspiring, and simple. Readers appreciate the concise text that reads like poetry. Overall, they find the book to be a short and sweet little book.

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Message Illustrations Story quality Word count Shortness

25 customers mention "Message"25 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the positive message of the book. They find it encouraging and giving children hope in the midst of hardships. The story is simple yet conveys a lot of meaning. It's wonderful for younger children to listen to and memorize, and the words are limited yet convey a lot of meaning, making it great for a child to talk about how things can be.

"...are simple, colors are soft, and words are limited yet convey a lot of meaning." Read more

"...My 3 year old daughter loves this book. She loves to listen to it, but she has also memorized the story, so she will "read" it to me over and over...." Read more

"...and is short enought to breeze through while maintaining a toddler's attention. I have purchased it as gifts a few times for kids age 3 and under...." Read more

"...Lovely illustrations, few words, great to read aloud and talk about with your little one. I would recommend this book for 1-5 year olds." Read more

23 customers mention "Illustrations"23 positive0 negative

Customers like the illustrations. They find the graphics clear, simple, and appealing. The book has colorful and cute illustrations that are bright. It's a great picture book with simple text and few words.

"...Pictures are simple, colors are soft, and words are limited yet convey a lot of meaning." Read more

"...It tells about how a bad day can turn into a good day. The pictures are beautiful, and the content, layout and pace are just right for any child up..." Read more

"...The illustrations are not cartoonish like some can be when depicting animals." Read more

"...It's super positive with its message, has colorful and cute illustrations, and is short enought to breeze through while maintaining a toddler's..." Read more

19 customers mention "Story quality"15 positive4 negative

Customers enjoy the story and illustrations. They find the story nice, charming, inspiring, and positive. The storyline is simple but conveys a great deal. Readers enjoy reading this bedtime story as their daughter learns to look for the upside of a bad day.

"...When no adult is available she "reads" it on her own. It is a sweet little story, not just pictures of "things."..." Read more

"...It is a wonderful story on how what may start out as a bad day or situation can be improved or we can change our outlook to make it a good one...." Read more

"...I have given this book many times as a gift. It's a story about hope. You can have a bad day, but it doesn't have to stay that way...." Read more

"I love giving this book as a gift to new parents. Engaging story all with just a few words and delightful images...." Read more

11 customers mention "Word count"11 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's concise and clear writing style. They find the graphics simple, colorful, and appealing. The text reads like poetry, with few words and no wasted verbiage.

"...Pictures are simple, colors are soft, and words are limited yet convey a lot of meaning." Read more

"This is a simple, charming, feel-good book. I took it out of the library so many times that I had to go out and buy a copy...." Read more

"This book is very simple. It’s a sweet book. My almost 2 year old likes this book, but I feel like it’s too babyish at her current age...." Read more

"...Lovely illustrations, few words, great to read aloud and talk about with your little one. I would recommend this book for 1-5 year olds." Read more

5 customers mention "Shortness"5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's short length. They find it sweet and with nice illustrations.

"...its message, has colorful and cute illustrations, and is short enought to breeze through while maintaining a toddler's attention...." Read more

"...It's very short but manages to effectively fit in a very sweet (but not preachy) message that there is always a bright side when we are feeling down..." Read more

"This is a short, sweet little book. My husband's favorite from my toddler's collection...." Read more

"The story is great! Awesome short (and very visual) book for my daughter...." Read more

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Frederick P.
Read on Repeat!
Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2022
Verified Purchase

Perhaps a warning is in order! You may have to read this book over and over to your toddler! My 2-year old granddaughter just loves this book. When no adult is available she "reads" it on her own. It is a sweet little story, not just pictures of "things." It talks about what happens when things can go wrong and how they can turn out better in the end. Pictures are simple, colors are soft, and words are limited yet convey a lot of meaning.

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3 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer
My 3 Year Old Loves It!
Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2008
Verified Purchase
This is a simple, charming, feel-good book. I took it out of the library so many times that I had to go out and buy a copy.

My 3 year old daughter loves this book. She loves to listen to it, but she has also memorized the story, so she will "read" it to me over and over. This is the only book that she has ever done that with. This book will always hold a very dear place in my heart for those memories.

It is perfect for a child in the 2-4 age range, in my opinion. Old enough to understand the words/concept, but not old enough to be bored with such a simple book. My 7 year old autistic son liked it, too. But it doesn't capture his heart like it did my daughter.

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2 people found this helpful

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Heidi
Wonderful book
Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2017
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My boy loved this book when he was two years old. It was his absolute favorite, and we read it many times every single day for months. We took it out of the library so many times that we ended up just buying a copy of our own. He literally had the entire book completely memorized, and would read it to me instead of me reading it to him. At first, I thought it was pretty simple and short. But after reading it 100 times, it has become a personal favorite of mine as well. It tells about how a bad day can turn into a good day. The pictures are beautiful, and the content, layout and pace are just right for any child up to about 3 years old. I will be purchasing this book for baby showers in the coming years.

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6 people found this helpful

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Lei S.
Beautiful book with a beautiful lesson
Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2020
Verified Purchase
Out of all the baby books we have this one we will keep forever. It is a wonderful story on how what may start out as a bad day or situation can be improved or we can change our outlook to make it a good one. My husband even reminds me of this book whenever I'm cranky. The illustrations are not cartoonish like some can be when depicting animals.

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2 people found this helpful

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Jennifer Robertson
Cute and positive story for toddlers
Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2014
Verified Purchase
We love this book around our house. It's super positive with its message, has colorful and cute illustrations, and is short enought to breeze through while maintaining a toddler's attention. I have purchased it as gifts a few times for kids age 3 and under. The gist of the story is that all of these bad things happen, but by the end of the day they are all get turned around, and the day turns out to be good. How nice, right?

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T P
Sweet book for baby
Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2019
Verified Purchase
This book is very simple. It’s a sweet book. My almost 2 year old likes this book, but I feel like it’s too babyish at her current age. It would have been a better addition to our library early on.

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One person found this helpful

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Planner
Book
Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2024
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l loved the book.

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Ruby's friend
Great, hopeful book!
Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2016
Verified Purchase
A Good Day is one of my favorite children's books. The author has written many wonderful stories for children. I have given this book many times as a gift. It's a story about hope. You can have a bad day, but it doesn't have to stay that way. Lovely illustrations, few words, great to read aloud and talk about with your little one. I would recommend this book for 1-5 year olds.

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5 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

LVJ2021
Great story, lovely illustrations
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 29, 2023
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This book is one of my favorite books for babies. It is simple and lovely but has deeper layers of meaning that kids of different ages and adults will understand. I love it as a gift for kids 0-3 years.

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Kristi
maybe better for preschool than for Kindergarten
Reviewed in Canada on October 8, 2017
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The story is very simple, maybe better for preschool than for Kindergarten. The message of finding joy in the little things is sweet though.

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Laura
20mo in love with this book
Reviewed in Germany on August 21, 2019
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My 20 months old son is truly in love with the book, and I am as well. The story is beautiful, with common animals/situations we can relate to, and the drawings are bright, clear, detailed and lovely.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Great story, lovely illustrations

4.0 out of 5 stars maybe better for preschool than for Kindergarten

5.0 out of 5 stars 20mo in love with this book

Great story, lovely illustrations

maybe better for preschool than for Kindergarten

20mo in love with this book