Product Description

Snow is falling. All the animals are fast asleep in their animal homes. They awake. They open their eyes. They sniff. They run. What will they find?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #434613 in Books
• Published on: 1989-01-15
• Released on: 1989-01-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 36 pages

From Publishers Weekly
In this Caldecott Honor book, the animals awaken to the sweet green scents of spring and joyfully celebrate the arrival of the new season. Ages 3-7.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"A distinguished book." -- -- H.

"A distinguished book." -- H.

"A lovely book, with enchanting pictures." -- -- K.

"A lovely book, with enchanting pictures." -- K.

About the Author
Ruth Krauss, a member of the experimental Writer's Laboratory at the Bank Street School in New York City in the 1940s, imaginatively used humor and invented words to create some of the very first books for children that highlighted the child s inner life. She collaborated with some of the greatest illustrators in children s literature, including her husband, Crockett Johnson.

Customer Reviews

A single flower blooming in the woods brings joy.
A short children's book about animals hibernating in the winter yet who come out to see a happy sight, a flower growing in the middle of the snow. Spring must be near! The book was a 1950 Caldecott Honor book (i.e., a runner-up to the Medal winner) for best illustration in a children's book.

A Great Classroom Read
As a preschool teacher, I'm always on the lookout for very good, very short books which I can grab off the shelf and read to my students during those moments when I need a filler activity. THE HAPPY DAY is all that, and so much more. This is the perfect book to end class with on the first day of spring, which I've done every spring for 29 years. From the moment I hold up the book, read the title, and ask why it's such a happy day for the animals, my students are involved and invested. Before I start reading the text, I ask the children what the animals on the cover might be looking at. I give them time to speculate, and I start reading after everybody has contributed an idea. Before I make that last page turn, when it is evident the reader is about to discover what got these animals all sniffing and running, I ask again what could it be. The typical response is some kind of food. When I turn the page and reveal that yellow flower, there is ALWAYS an audible gasp from my students. Nobody expects it, which makes it a most satisfying ending. If the adult reader sets the tone properly, and emphasizes the tension Krauss and Simont created in the story through his or her reading, most preschoolers are intensely interested in this lovely story. A book that works this well when read to a large group should work well as a lap book. As a children's book author, I'm a VERY critical reader. THE HAPPY DAY passes muster with me, not an easy feat.

I'm really torn on this book
I'm so torn.

On the one hand, this is a simply-written, repetitive book about the real start of spring - a flower in the snow - and how all the animals react to that.

On the other hand, the artwork is a little uninspiring, and I'm not certain black-and-white is the color scheme to go with here.

Definitely read before you buy.