A Perfect Day for Digging

In the spring when trees unfreeze and grass grows green and pansies say, “Please plant me!” Nell and her dog, Rusty, can’t wait to dig in dirt just right for digging. But Norman, their neighbor, says “Ewww!” to digging and dirt.

Until Nell and Rusty begin to dig up unexpected treasures: a pretty striped marble, the mini stegosaurus that Nell lost last summer, and most intriguing of all―part of a tiny china doll. Who played with it? Is there more? Norman wonders.

Now, even Norman can’t resist. He rolls up his sleeves, picks up the extra trowel, and starts to dig in his own careful way―in the process discovering all the simple joys of digging, dirt, and the fun of trying something new. Words and pictures brimming with humor and exuberance capture one of the true rites of spring: Hooray for dirty digging!

Cari Best’s acclaimed picture books have delighted many young readers and include When We Go Walking, as well as Sally Jean the Bicycle Queen and Shrinking Violet, both selected School Library Journal Best Books of the Year. When she’s not writing, walking, or riding her bike, Cari Best can be found digging with her dog, Jennie, in her own back yard, where she never knows what treasures she’ll discover. Cari Best lives in Connecticut.

Christine Davenier has illustrated many popular picture books, including Cari Best’s popular Sally Jean the Bicycle Queen and the best-selling The Very Fairy Princess by Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton. She lives in Paris and in Ligerolles, France, where she takes great joy in digging in her own garden–and in getting dirty.