A CELEBRATION OF YOU

A child learns to cherish each moment.

A youngster with a mop of brown hair gathered into a topknot wakes to an ordinary day. Nothing is special; in fact, it’s “outstandingly average.” But what if, as the unseen narrator suggests, we find something to celebrate? Like that rainbow stretching across the sky or flowers that smell particularly wonderful. Or a butterfly flitting by. The day inspires the tot to create art. But when the wind blows the painting into a tree, the moment gives rise to an opportunity for gratitude. “Whenever you stumble or skid to a stop, // celebrate climbing back up to the top.” (An accompanying image shows the child looking high into the tree.) Funk muses wisely—and widely—at times in an elevated tone: “Set a new course into nature’s domain. / Step through the doorway to unknown terrain.” But most offerings lean toward childlike wonder: “Sit for a moment and celebrate still… / sometimes the simplest things are a thrill.” Alizadeh’s sunny illustrations are full of light and movement, heightening the whimsy. The tot and a parent both are brown-skinned; a younger sibling is slightly darker-skinned.

A welcome reminder that the natural world is full of tiny celebrations.