Book Description
for An Ordinary Day by Elana K. Arnold and Elizabet Vukovic
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
On an ordinary street in an ordinary neighborhood, two extraordinary events are about to take place. Two cars pull up in front of two houses. In one car is a veterinarian; in the other, an obstetrician or midwife. Inside the houses, lives change as one family says good-bye to a beloved dog and the other welcomes a new baby. Outside, neighbors go about their daily lives. Superb, expertly paced writing reveals minimal details, allowing muted illustrations to fill in the story and readers to infer events and emotions. Despite its old-fashioned look, the neighborhood is refreshingly multicultural: one family is African American, the other multiracial and queer; the visitors to the houses are Black and Asian American. Steering clear of sentimentality, this quiet story carries readers through a range of big emotions. (Ages 4-8)
CCBC Choices 2021. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2021. Used with permission.