Starred Review ALA Booklist (Wed Jul 05 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Starred Review Lukoff and Alam give readers a glimpse into a full day, from dawn until bedtime, with three families of differing cultural heritage in a clever circular poem filled with camaraderie and love. Using rhyming couplets consisting of a few words per page, the course of the day is entertainingly revealed: "A kiss, a blink, a dawn, a break. A yawn, a peep, a stretch, awake!" After waking, eating breakfast, and getting ready, the three families meet up and take a walk to the park, where the children play and explore their surroundings. The upbeat tale includes true-to-life episodes such as a tired, cranky youngster overdue for a nap, a tumble off a scooter, and a stumble over untied shoelaces, which all result in toddler tears. Cheerful visuals show a burly father with tattooed arms putting on his pink shoes that perfectly match his daughter's. In another scene, a young girl helps her grandmother stand up from a park bench, and after reaching home, the two of them make tea together. The charming digital paintings work harmoniously with the lyrical text in creating a seamless, charming day-in-the-life tale. The realistic look at the children's changing moods will ring true for parents, while kids will enjoy watching the youngsters' activities and the visible warmth of friendship.

Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Mon May 08 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

From dawn to bedtime, loving glimpses of children living through an ordinary day.Writing almost entirely in rhyming, sonorous sequences of simple nouns, Lukoff begins with sunrise-"A kiss, a blink, a dawn, / a break. // A yawn, / a peep, / a stretch, / awake!"-and goes on to caption cozy digital paintings of three young suburban child neighbors stirring out of bed, dressing and eating, walking out with parents to a playground…then at day's end coming back home for a bath, a meal, a book, and finally bed. Realistically, the outing has its emotional downs as well as ups, as a broken toy and other mishaps lead to "a lap" for one child, "a nap" for another, and, following a tantrum, a calming bath for a third. Alam depicts a cast diverse of age, race, and family composition, including among the last a child and a baby sibling with two male-presenting parents (brown skinned, in different shades) and a live-in elder. From first light to moonlit final scene, each moment of this domestic round glows with feelings of warmth and safety. (This book was reviewed digitally.)Soothing, familiar, and perfect for reading at bedtime-or any other time. (Picture book. 4-6)

School Library Journal Starred Review (Fri Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

PreS —Gentle narration with a reliable rhythm and sturdy rhyme lightly relates the happenings of an average day. Wake up. Eat breakfast. Take a walk. Play. Study. Learn. Grow. Take a bath, and back to bed. Every page or two comprises only eight words—"A kiss, a blink, a dawn, a break./ A yawn, a peep, a stretch, awake!" Lukoff's text is brilliant in its simplicity, accompanied by Alam's warm digital illustrations. Myriad people young and old are observed doing daily activities; the book has a few families representing multiracial, multigenerational, non-nuclear combinations. The beginning and ending cleverly show the same scenes in reverse, as the sun rises with hope and then sets on this lovely tale, to be repeated again and again. VERDICT A must-have for any collection, and perfect for classroom naptime, read-alouds, baby story hours, or toddler bedtimes.—Chance Lee Joyner

Horn Book (Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Four children from three neighboring households wake up and spend an amiable day together with their families. Patterned phrases suggest action and make for a buoyant read-aloud, particularly for the youngest listeners: "A kiss, a blink, a dawn, / a break. / A yawn, a peep, a stretch, / awake!" Colorful digitally painted illustrations add to the narrative and build a world of realistic and beautiful variety. We see what appears to be a single mom, two dads, a multigenerational household, someone who's pregnant, a burly tattooed and bearded person wearing pink sneaks (to match their child's!), and a mix of races and ethnicities among the adults and kids. Genders and relationships are all open to interpretation, and most children will see something that reflects their own experience as the families go for a walk, play at the playground, go home, and wind down to bedtime after a busy, happy day. Spot images focus on moments -- snuggling the cat, watching a spider, reaching out a hand, crying over boo-boos, changing the baby ("a sniff, a stink, a change"). The whole is warm and affirming, full of life and love. When it comes time for "a kiss, a blink, a night," the children in the story may go to sleep, but the child beside you may insist on a second reading.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

From dawn to bedtime, loving glimpses of children living through an ordinary day.Writing almost entirely in rhyming, sonorous sequences of simple nouns, Lukoff begins with sunrise-"A kiss, a blink, a dawn, / a break. // A yawn, / a peep, / a stretch, / awake!"-and goes on to caption cozy digital paintings of three young suburban child neighbors stirring out of bed, dressing and eating, walking out with parents to a playground…then at day's end coming back home for a bath, a meal, a book, and finally bed. Realistically, the outing has its emotional downs as well as ups, as a broken toy and other mishaps lead to "a lap" for one child, "a nap" for another, and, following a tantrum, a calming bath for a third. Alam depicts a cast diverse of age, race, and family composition, including among the last a child and a baby sibling with two male-presenting parents (brown skinned, in different shades) and a live-in elder. From first light to moonlit final scene, each moment of this domestic round glows with feelings of warmth and safety. (This book was reviewed digitally.)Soothing, familiar, and perfect for reading at bedtime-or any other time. (Picture book. 4-6)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Via simple, largely monosyllabic words strung together into gently bouncing lines, Lukoff (If You’re a Kid Like Gavin) follows three families with young children through a single day, from sun-up to slumber. “A kiss, a blink, a dawn, a break,” text begins, as waking children are seen through different residence windows, wooded slopes and a city beyond lit by the rising sun. Families of various configurations and skin tones greet the day: some tend a baby (“a sniff, a stink, a change”); a bearded, tattoo-sporting caregiver pulls on pink sneakers as the child beside them dons a smaller pair (“a dress, a pink”). The groups amble toward a playground as the children spot small signs of wildlife (“a land,/ a slow,// a stalk”). Help appears across the generations (“A reach,/ a hand,/ a rise,/ a stand”), as does comfort when problems arise. In loose, digitally finished, gently tinted vignettes, debut illustrator Alam envisions a community that offers all its members security and love in this sedate ode to ordinary days that ends with “a kiss, a blink, a night,// asleep.” Ages 3–5. Author’s agent: Saba Sulaiman, Talcott Notch Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Elena Giovinazzo, Pippin Properties. (May)