This Beautiful Day

It is a dreary day, a rainy day, and three children are inside. But these children listen to music and start dancing and spinning and stomping. Soon they put their boots on and take their umbrellas and go outside to enjoy this beautiful day. The initial illustrations are all in black and grey, but as the children begin to dance and see the beauty in the day, colors begin to collect in their day and the sun begins to shine and more colors appear. Soon they add sounds to their beautiful day, and other children come out to enjoy this beautiful day, and more colors appear until there is a lovely full-color parade of children and umbrellas floating into the sunny sky.

Author Richard Jackson has written a sweet poem with perfect meter and rhyme that soars through the enchanting illustrations by Suzy Lee that slowly and subtly carry readers out of the dreariness of being indoors on a rainy day to the joy of being outside on a beautiful day. There is a sense of optimism throughout this beautiful book. This will delight youngsters and set their imaginations free.