My Day

A small child describes the events of a typical day, from waking up and getting dressed through play and naptime to going to bed

PreS --A small girl, who fluctuates in appearance and size between 9 and 18 months depending on the picture and activity, takes readers through a typical day in her upper-middle-class life. The photorealistic illustrations in pastel shades are washed out and cloyingly sweet, while the objects depicted are so small that most toddlers will be frustrated if they try to identify them. There is no story; the text consists of one line captions for the one or two events per page. They don't always match; the text says, "Mommy dresses me"; the illustrations show five segments of the child dressing herself. In fact, no adult appears until ten pages into the book, after the infant has awakened, dressed, had breakfast, played with toys, practiced walking, and had a snack. Finally, when it's time to be put in the playpen, the mother appears. It's a disconcertingly lonely existence for such a small tyke, resulting in a totally unsatisfying day.
- Trev Jones, School Lib. Journal
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.