A day so gray

K-Gr 2--A bleak winter day becomes warm and cozy when a child learns to look carefully at the world around her. "This day is so gray," remarks a young girl as she prepares to go outside. "No, it isn't!" her companion answers as she points out the "shining blue" and other colors around them. Unimpressed, the first girl considers a brown field "blah" until her friend mentions the "dots of orange" and "sticks of licorice red" there as well. She helps her chum see, not just "boring white" snow, but also the "gems of twinkling silver" within. Their black cat isn't just the bearer of bad luck. She's warm with "soft pads of pink." When they eventually move inside, the once-negative child comes to appreciate the flashes of color in the crackling fire, the different colors in their blanket and warm cocoa, and finally, the lovely "purple and tangerine sunset." The cartoon illustrations depict two youngsters whose facial expressions and body language announce their inner dispositions. One stands, head tilted, hands on hips, foot tapping as she expresses her disappointment with the day. The other stands, arms raised, foot off the ground as she surveys the wonders in their environment. A charming close-up shows the two girls, their heads and backs to readers, cat between them, as all three view the brilliant sunset. VERDICT A good choice for storytimes on cold winter days that will encourage youngsters to see "so much more than gray."--Marianne Saccardi, Children's Literature Consultant, Cambridge, MA

Two friends find a rainbow of colors hidden in everyday scenes on a snowy, cloudy day.Two children look out a window at the snowy landscape while they put on their winter headgear. "This day is so gray," says the white, blond child. "No, it isn't!" says the brown, puffy-haired child. Outside, one child calls the field "blah brown"; the other points out "dots of orange, / and vines of black." To one, the "snow is boring white"the other finds in it "lines of purple, / and squiggles of gray." When they go inside and remove their coats and boots, they cozy up to a warm fire that is not "just orange," but "flashes of red and yellow." The pessimist finally admits that the fire is cozy and warm, and so is the "bad luck" black cat, and the "brown, white, gray cocoa." The thought-provoking and poetic text effectively celebrates balanced, helpful relationships and a positive, almost magical way of seeing and appreciating the world. While the illustrations, which place clean-lined, cartoon figures against, mostly, artfully smudgy backgrounds, fail to enhance the subtlety of the text, they do conjure feelings of cold and warm, with textured snow scenes and the fire's glow surrounding the two children.Cozy up with this book to start a conversation about finding what's bright when things seem dull. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.