91. A Day in the Sun

A Day in the Sun. Diana Ejaita. 2023. [May] 32 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Good morning, Sun!

Premise/plot: Each two-page spread of this new book is set in a different country. (The first spread is Madagascar.) The narrative praises--almost to the point of worship and adoration--the sun, the universal sun that unites us one and all. Each spread takes note of a reason to love the sun, to be thankful for the sun. The book ends with a, "Good night, Sun. Thank you for today."

 My thoughts: Reading is subjective. Reading is subjective. Reading is subjective. This one wasn't for me. I didn't care for the illustrations--though you might. I didn't care for the narrative--though you might. I liked the concept of each spread being set in a different country. The book is a love song to the sun. But it isn't just a lower-case, sun. It is an upper-case Sun. While many pages are mostly harmless, I didn't like the ending..."The Sun gifts every one of us with life! Good night, Sun. Thank you for today." It just felt OFF. Again, reading is subjective. Perhaps this isn't a picture book intended to turn little ones into literal sun-worshipers. I'm not saying that it definitely is. I just felt it was odd there towards the end.

© 2023 Becky Laney of Young Readers