Peter Yarrow follows the blockbuster success of Puff, the Magic Dragon (one of my daughter’s FAVORITE books- we even had to buy her the matching stuffed dragon!) with a picture book version of his beautiful song, “Day Is Done.”
We were lucky to have Sterling Press send us a copy of Day is Done to review. My daughter was thrilled!
The story follows the song: As night falls, animal and human parents everywhere tenderly tuck their children into bed. In the darkness, each child—raccoon, doe, rabbit, field mouse, and a little boy—wonders: Will I be safe? Will you be there for me? And every mommy and daddy responds with the comforting words of Yarrow’s refrain: “I am here.”To a toddler, nothing is more reassuring that hearing their parent is there comforting them as they fall asleep.
You’ll find yourself humming as you say the words and if you’re like me, on the 2nd re-reading (you know toddlers, once is NOT enough), you’ll be singing the words! I was enchanted when my daughter started singing along by the 3rd page! but, I’ve sung Puff to her since she was practically newborn, so it probably shouldn’t really be a surprise.
As a bonus, there is also an included 3 song cd- Day is Done, I Know Where I'm Going and Dona, Dona, Dona. Joining Peter is his daughter Bethany. I like to play it before we read the book- it helops my daughter get more into the story (now that we've read it 20 times! ).
I wish I had a photo of my daughter enjoying the book, but she only likes reading it before bed (“it’s a bed time book” Momma, she said), and she hates having her photo taken then- she just wants to cuddle, read and relax! No paparazzi time! Oh well………….
Melissa Sweet’s gorgeous artwork images celebrate the loving bond between parent and child, as well as the connection between all creatures of the earth. You’ll find yourself looking at the artwork again and again, as it is so VIVID and enchanting!
This is one of those books you buy and you know you will be passing in on for generations! I can’t recommend it enough. Actually I can;t recommend ALL of Peter Yarrow’s books enough! His sing-along series is also enchanting, but then they’re the songs I remember him singing from his Peter, Paul and Mary concerts (which were frequent fare in our household)! Sometimes the older songs are just Better- no questionable lyrics and easy tunes to sing with!
So go check it out all his books, especially Day is Done today!
Biographys:
Peter Yarrow is a member of the iconic ’60’s folk trio Peter, Paul & Mary. Along with Lenny Lipton, he is the author of the beloved song and now hit book Puff, the Magic Dragon. In addition to extensive touring and performing, Peter is active in Operation Respect, an organization that promotes anti-bullying awareness in schools across the country.Melissa Sweet has illustrated more than 40 children’s books, including the 2008 Caldecott Honor winner A River of Words, which was also listed as a New York Times Top Ten Children’s Book of the Year. The New York Times Book Review listed Carmine: A Little More Red (Houghton Mifflin, 2005)—which she both wrote and illustrated—among its Ten Best Illustrated Books of the Year, and The Boy Who Drew Birds (Houghton Mifflin, 2004) was a New York Public Library Best Book for 2004.
Disclosure: I received a review copy from Sterling Press, free of charge, for me to review. I was NOT told how to review the products.