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32 pp.
| Philomel |
July, 2020 |
TradeISBN 978-1-984-81284-1$16.99
(2)
PS
Full-bleed watercolor illustrations depict a gorgeous day at the sea in bright blues, oranges, and pinks. The seagull looks euphoric: "Blue sky, gentle breeze! / Warm sun, cool feet! / It's a perfect day." The gull has not noticed a little crab, who swims up on the seagull's rock to point out the one cloud in the sky. "It's not perfect." The gull, refusing to be brought down, declares the cloud pretty. Thus begins an impossible-to-resolve dispute between the two, with the crab persistently calling attention to perceived imperfections until the gull departs in exasperation: "Fine! It's not perfect. I'm going to find a better rock." Unfortunately, neither "rock" is what it seems, and suddenly the day turns potentially disastrous for the little crab. The seagull swoops in for the rescue, however, and though the crab will always see things through a more critical lens than the gull, who continues to find the day perfect, the two have come closer to consensus and to each other. Using a variety of perspectives to highlight each new detail that changes viewers' understanding of the scene, the attractive art, along with the snappy text, leaves plenty of room for the humor to stand out in this tribute to the ups and downs of a day--and a friendship.
Reviewer: Julie Roach
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
July, 2020