One Busy Day by Lola M. Schaefer (review)

The wordless spot illustrations on the front end papers and the first few pages of this title make its issue quite clear: little sister Mia wants to play with big brother Spencer, but he’s not having any of it. Resourceful Mia finds other things to do—painting, dancing, building a fort out of chairs and a blanket—and Spencer grows increasingly interested. As Mia bakes mud pies, builds a sand castle, and wades in her kiddie pool, he creeps more and more into the action, until the two are full-out engaged in pretend play together, fighting dragons and sailing rough seas. The closing page depicts the sleeping pair curled up in a chair together, while the closing end papers show the two happily reading, doctoring a teddy bear, and hiding in a box together. It’s pleasantly refreshing to see a sibling book in which the left-out sib cheerfully musters her own resources for entertainment, and the happy resolution between the kids comes about in a natural and non-preachy way. Additionally, the layout sets an engaging pattern: the recto text begins Mia’s action (“She explored . . .”) and shows her actual enterprise (building the chair and blanket fort); a page turn reveals the outcome (“a deep, dark cave”) in all its imagined glory (she’s spelunking in a lamp-lit helmet and discovering cave art). Earthy tones, shaded blues, and verdant greens add life to the scenes, and the dry-brush-style technique combines with scratchy linework to add texture. Share this at a sibling-themed storytime, or perhaps encourage an older sib to read it aloud to a younger one.