Monday Is One Day

PreS-Gr 2—While it is difficult for parents who work outside the home to part from their children, Levine assures youngsters that a work week does eventually end, and that each day affords an opportunity for some special time together. Monday allows for "one safe snuggly cuddle," Tuesday for "two stomps in a puddle," and so on until the weekend arrives with time for more extended activities. Readers will enjoy the brief, rhyming text, printed in different colors that match the artist's palette, and the invitation to "count the days" (and objects pictured). But there is much more for them to glean from the mixed-media cartoon illustrations, mostly spreads, offering aerial and close-up views of the town and its inhabitants. The cover alludes to the cyclical nature of time as it portrays the different family constellations that appear within the book. Youngsters are subtly introduced to diverse ethnic representation, grandparents as primary caregivers, a child who has two fathers, and single parents, with a reprise of all the families in a park scene at the end. From breaking dawn to sunrise to the rising of the moon in the evening, whether they work in an office, on a farm, or engage in other kinds of labor, these adults share their love for their children and eagerness to spend time with them. This is a fine vehicle for discussion of different family groupings, kinds of work, and separation anxiety.—Marianne Saccardi, formerly at Norwalk Community College, CT