Things to Do by Elaine Magliaro (review)

In a narrative that’s termed prose on the flap copy, labeled a story in rhyme by the Library of Congress, and may work best as a collection of individual poems, personified objects and concepts ranging from rain to scissors get a lyrical to-do list. “Things to do if you’re dawn” include “shoo away night/Wash the eastern sky with light./ Wake the sleeping sun”; “Things to do if you are a honeybee” begin “Flit among flowers/Sip nectar for hours.” The bookends of dawn and the moon suggests an arc to the thirteen to-dos, but they can be happily read on their own or in any order; rhymes both end and internal, deft alliteration, and clever turns of phrase (erasers should “be pliable and pink”) make these little odes particularly effective readalouds. Chen’s full-bleed soft-edged, painterly acrylics are support rather than imaginative extensions, but they are effectively moody and emotional, ranging from radiant with sunshine to pensive with lavender shadow. The dark-haired moppet who appears in many spreads sometimes is a foregrounded figure, sometimes melting into the background or the shadow; she’s therefore less of a guide than a continuing visual thread. Though reading aloud will make the best use of the expressive lines, this could also provide an early reading experience for kids not yet ready for Gerstein’s poetic Dear Hot Dog (BCCB 10/11).