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A Good Day Hardcover – Picture Book, February 27, 2007
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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.
- Print length32 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Grade levelPreschool - 3
- Dimensions9 x 0.38 x 9 inches
- PublisherGreenwillow Books
- Publication dateFebruary 27, 2007
- ISBN-10006114018X
- ISBN-13978-0061140181
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
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From School Library Journal
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From Booklist
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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: #967,379 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

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
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers 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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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
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
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
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
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
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2022Perhaps 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.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2008This 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.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2017My 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.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2020Out 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.
- Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2014We 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?
- Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2019This 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.
- Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2024l loved the book.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2016A 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.
Top reviews from other countries
- LVJ2021Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 29, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Great story, lovely illustrations
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.
- KristiReviewed in Canada on October 8, 2017
4.0 out of 5 stars maybe better for preschool than for Kindergarten
The story is very simple, maybe better for preschool than for Kindergarten. The message of finding joy in the little things is sweet though.
- LauraReviewed in Germany on August 21, 2019
5.0 out of 5 stars 20mo in love with this book
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.