A Perfect Day

Warm sun. Cool water. A full bird feeder. What could possibly spoil a perfect afternoon in Bert’s backyard?

Lane Smith’s tale imagines how one creature’s idea of a perfect afternoon might be quite different than another’s. For a cat, the perfect day is spending time in a “flower bed where the daffodils grew.” But for a squirrel, who cannot reach the bird feeder, a perfect day is hanging out chomping on a cob of corn. The story shows how everyone’s idea of a perfect day is different, and how one bear ruins the others’ perfect day.

The beautiful, textured illustrations use muted, soft colors to draw in readers. Pictures show how Bert takes care of the wild animals without turning them into pets. Bert puts seeds in a bird feeder and gives the squirrel a cob of corn. The pictures also have a hint of humor. For example, when a bear steals a squirrel’s corn, the bear smiles wide showing his corn teeth.

The easy-to-read story uses short, repetitive sentences, which make A Perfect Day a great bedtime story. On the back cover, a picture of a bear raiding a bird feeder shows how the story was inspired by Smith’s personal experience. Depending on the reader’s location, A Perfect Day could be used to discuss why people should not feed wild animals. A Perfect Day is a perfect book to show how anyone—animal or human—can enjoy the simple things in life.

Sexual Content

• None

Violence

• None

Drugs and Alcohol

• None

Language

• None

Supernatural

• None

Spiritual Content

• None