All things are indeed “bright and beautiful” in the serene, sharply detailed country scenes Whatley (Wait! No Paint, p. 669, etc.) has created for this familiar 19th-century hymn. With creamy, photorealistic clarity, the artist portrays an overall-clad child visiting barn and orchard, pausing to admire a golden sky, coming home after her ramble with a basket of apples, an armful of cattails—and a story, or perhaps a poem, with which to regale her fond family before bedtime. Everything from faces and livestock to compositions and rich colors are so natural, so harmonious that viewers will feel elevated even if they don’t know the song. The verses are recapitulated, with musical arrangement, at the end. Lovely. (Picture book/poetry. 5-9)
