A Perfect Day

I admit that I'm not part of the Lane Smith fan club. I find his books generally too complex for children - I generally think they're aimed more at adults - and I don't care for his angular, minimal art style. But I keep picking them up because he does elicit interesting responses from people and I keep looking at them to see if something springs up that catches my interest.

In this book, something sprung. It's a perfect day for Cat, who is enjoying the flower bed. It's a perfect day for Dog, enjoying the pool. It's a perfect day for Chickadee on the bird feeder and for Squirrel, who has her own cob of corn.

Then Bear shows up and the day isn't so perfect anymore - except for Bear!

Smith's artwork, which I've often found bland in the past, show more mixes pastel colors and thick brushstrokes to create an adorably fluffy cat, a colorful flower bed, and all the other creatures who populate the story. The mixture of collage and paint capture the eye and expand the simple text into a simply delightful clash of colors and textures for readers to enjoy.

This deceptively simple story will catch readers on a number of levels. The repeated phrases, building up to a climax and then rolling back down to the humorous conclusion, make this a great story for toddler or preschool storytime. Older readers will enjoy the subtle change in perspective and the humor of the unexpected conclusion.

Verdict: This will make a great addition to storytime and your library picture book collection. Recommended.

ISBN: 9781626725362; Published 2017 by Roaring Brook Press; Borrowed from another library in my consortium show less

Cat is lounging among the daffodils. Dog is sitting in the wading pool, deep in the cool water. Chickadee is eating fresh seed from the birdfeeder. Squirrel is munching on his very own corncob. Today is a perfect day in Bert's backyard. Until Bear comes along, that is. Bear crushes the daffodils, drinks the pool water, and happily gobbles up the birdseed and corncob. Today was a perfect day for Cat, Dog, Chickadee, and Squirrel. Now, it's just a perfect day for Bear. Lane Smith uses perfect pacing and vibrant illustrations to emphasize the power of perspective in this hilarious picture book about the goings-on in Bert's backyard.

Because Lane Smith, and reviews.
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3.5 stars rounded down, because imo it's not as amazing as the hype. Clever, yes. Original, sorta. Lane Smith does know how to defy expectations. I like how the child, Bert, is *friend* to the animals, not pet owner or patron, and how he feeds both birds and squirrel. The art is so warm and joyful, without being gaudy. Good for kids who are tired of 'sweet' books, but whose parents' don't appreciate [b:Battle Bunny|16702384|Battle Bunny|Jon Scieszka|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1382220352s/16702384.jpg|22935165].

A perfect day for the cat, dog, squirrel, etc takes a turn when a big bear invades their yard, making the day perfect for *him* but not so much for them. A little *eh* on the story, but the illustrations are superb.

This is another book by Lane Smith that elicits smiles and laughter. He has a simplistic way of encouraging us to read more and more of his books! He never fails to amaze, amuse and bring a smile!

In this story,
It was a perfect day for cat in the flowers where sleep was comfortable.
It was a perfect day for dog when the water rom the hose was refreshingly cool and just what was needed when it was a very hot day.
It was a perfect day for Chickadee who was fortunate to enjoy a fully filled bird feeder.
It was a perfect day for squirrel who couldn't get up the bird feeder because the design prohibited success. But, the kind boy who filled the feeder, dropped a perfect cob of corn on the grass, and squirrel immediately felt lucky.

THEN

Along show more comes spoiler bear. He manages to disrupt each and every animal from their joy. And, as the kind boy looks out the window with cat, dog, while bird and squirrel hang around out of the window, they are dismayed that their perfect day was spoiled by a bear who had his own perfect day.

I've read many books by this author. He never fails to disappoint.

Four Stars show less

This would be a good book to spark a discussion about who has more rights than others. Each animal in this story was having a perfect day, until a bear came along and ruined it. But now the bear is having the perfect day -- so who is right and who is wrong? It shows that one person's (or animal's) idea of a perfect day might not be the same as another person's idea.

What a sweet boy Bert is feeding all his animal friends and making sure they are comfortable. This book features Bert but is also In memory of him "Feeder of bird / Feeder of squirrel". Plot is simple and sweet. Each animal gets their own turn for the perfect day, including bear who shows up and stirs the pot quite a bit. The illustrations are insane. So much texture, color, and character! Themes in the illustrations of each page are linked into other pages giving the story a very distinct setting. I could see this book being a really fun, dramatic read but you would be better off with a smaller crowd so they could see the coordinating images.