School Library Journal Review
Toddler-PreS--In a sequel to Snow Days, these charming couplets about fun in the sun will have their appeal to lap sitters. From morning to night, spring into summer, the sun wakes children, warms the seeds they've planted, dries their mud pies, sends them in search of ice cream, and sets in rosy splendor in time for bed. What will really engage the audience are the exquisite full-bleed collages in which the appearance of thickness of papers, weave of fabrics, and occasional stitchery cast slight shadows for a muted 3D effect. A multiracial array of children is shown in uncluttered, happy scenes filled with charming attention to detail. Five age-appropriate and engaging activities that feature the sun's powers are appended. VERDICT With its padded cover, rounded corners, and thick pages, this eye-catching yet simple look at sunshine will suit all collections that serve toddlers.--Jan Aldrich Solow, formerly Fairfax County Public Sch., VA
Kirkus Review
Young children delight in sun-filled activities throughout spring and summer. From its bright, wondrous wake-up call to its gentle, gradual goodbye, the sun is a friendly constant, providing warmth, light, and opportunities to explore the outside world. Children are depicted taking part in familiar activities such as reading in an outdoor patch of sunlight, planting seeds, making mud pies, and swimming at the beach. These experiences take place in an urban landscape, grassy yard, farm, and beach with lighthouse in the background. Similar to the text in its companion book, Snow Days (2020), simple rhyming couplets create a playful, upbeat tone: "Ocean sun: flash and glimmer / Kick and paddle, little swimmer." A vivid color palette bursting with highly saturated hues pairs well with collage to create richly layered scenes that will capture young readers' interest. The changing position of the sun and use of embroidery for its rays evoke various moods and signal different times of day in each spread. The use of mixed media allows various textures to jump off the page, giving the book an almost 3-D feel. The multiracial cast of children featured have a diverse mix of skin tones and hair colors. Radiates joy and the carefree fun of days in the sun. (suggested activities) (Picture book. 2-5) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
This is a charming book for very young children. Kerbel's brief rhyming couplets--one per spread--capture the feeling of the sun throughout the day and from spring through the heat of summer. The first spread sets the tone: "Morning sun, golden skies / Softly waking sleepy eyes." The book concludes, "Setting sun, rosy sky / Blow today a kiss goodbye." The pages in between describe the shining sun, spring sun, bursting sun, blazing sun in the summer, ocean sun, and prickly hot sun. Of course, no book for children this age would be complete without pictures, and Sato's bright, peaceful collages not only illustrate each page but add texture, pattern, and the feeling of three dimensions to the visual mix. The collages bring the settings as well as the children in them to life. Sunny-day activities labeled as science experiments at the end of the book look like fun, even if nothing else in the book suggests science. A sweet book for a sunny day.
