My Day, Your Day

From Publishers Weekly Ballard (Tonight and Tomorrow) effectively and inventively draws parallels between the routines of parent and child in this upbeat picture book. "My day is at day care. Your day is at work," begins a preschooler narrator on the opening page. "Bye-bye. See you later." What follows are 10 pairs of corresponding--but not identical--activities of various children at day care and their parents at their jobs. To add some texture to the straightforward premise, Ballard shows the children in single-page, full-bleed scenes on the left, and depicts the adult counterpart (with a nearly identical likeness to the child) in three-panel scenes, comic book-style. While life at day care is reassuringly familiar (building blocks, circle time, lunch), Ballard finds some ingenious vocational pairings: for "circle time," an executive mommy readies for a meeting, greets the participants and then holds forth at a round table. A happy calm pervades both the succinct text and warmly hued watercolor and ink drawings, and parents and children reunite in a final scene. Ages 4-up. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From School Library Journal PreSchool-A group of contented-looking children settles in for a busy day at day care, while their parents rush off to their jobs. The left-hand side of each double-page spread illustrates the different activities going on in the classroom, while the right side contains three smaller illustrations showing a particular dad or mom at work. There is a nice correlation between the actions of the children and those of the adults. As the youngsters build with blocks, a father works at a construction site. When they gather for circle time, a mother runs a meeting around a conference table. Lunchtime is balanced with pictures of a chef preparing a meal, and time in the bathroom is paired with a look at what a plumber does. The last page shows parents and children happily reunited. Done in pen and ink and watercolors, the cartoon artwork is colorful and pleasing. Adults and their offspring are clothed in the same shade, making it easy for readers to match up family members. The familiar routines and terminology will strike a chord with day-care veterans, and the simple text and appealing illustrations may help demystify the experience for novices. This book could also be used as a discussion starter about occupations.