Children’s Book Review – A Year of Everyday Wonders

A YEAR OF EVERYDAY WONDERS

Written by Cheryl B. Klein

Illustrated by Qin Leng

(Abrams BYR; $16.99, Ages 4-8)

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BOOK REVIEW

If ever there was a year of wonders, I think 2020 would be it, both for adults and children, the whole world over. For this reason, I found Cheryl B. Klein’s A Year of Everyday Wonders especially meaningful though clearly her thoughtful book was created without the pandemic in mind.

The book follows a young girl, along with the people in her world, through all the “firsts” during the year.  Some of the lines are poetic, like “First green in the gray” when spring arrives or “First gold in the green” when fall arrives. The hopeless romantic in me liked the scenes of “First cold” when the protagonist is ill, which is immediately followed by “First crush” when a classmate of hers offers his tissue box. Equally touching was how “Second crush” comes about. The book eventually comes full circle as it begins and ends with “First day of the new year.” These seemingly small events of childhood will resonate with readers young and old who have likely experienced one or all of the beautifully depicted moments, the memories of which may last a lifetime.

THE ART

Qin Leng’s illustrations, rendered with ink and watercolor, portray each wonder with simplicity and emotion. There is lots of white space around many of the pictures, instilling a sort of quiet feeling, which is perfect for reading with your youngsters and reminiscing about all the “firsts’ they have had and will have in the future, depending on their ages.

IN CONCLUSION

Like I mentioned at the beginning of this review, 2020 was a year like no other, a year of many firsts for everyone: first lockdown, first virtual classroom learning, and first masks. With this last one, I admit that my mind is so focused on the pandemic in our new world that when I actually read the line “First masks” in A Year of Everyday Wonders, it took me a minute to realize that it was not referring to pandemic masks. Let’s hope that 2021 is a year of wonders indeed, of only the best kinds that children should experience.

★Starred Reviews – Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal

•  Reviewed by Freidele Galya Soban Biniashvili
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