One Day at a Time

Lily, a young girl, has to navigate the changing seasons and the swirl of emotions while in foster care. With her loyal friend, a yellow bird named Sparrow, by her side, she finds comfort, courage, and hope for each new day. Inspired by Matthew 6:25-34, One Day at a Time shows that just as God “cares for the sparrow in the sky and the lilies in the field, He cares for and deeply loves every child.” 

One Day at a Time chronicles the changes that Lily faces. From getting to know new foster parents to seeing a therapist, Lily learns ways to express her emotions. During dinner, Lily and her foster sibling begin to fight, and Lily “loses control, throws her drink, and bumps her bowl.” The next page shows Lily alone in her room, and an unknown speaker reminds her that, “You’re not bad.” Likewise, when Lily feels shame at being a foster child, her teacher tells her, “It’s not your fault, you’ve done nothing wrong.” Throughout the story, Lily’s biracial foster family treats her with kindness and love.  

The illustrations pop with beautiful, bright colors that radiate joy. Each two-page spread focuses on a single aspect of being a foster child, and Lily’s facial expressions are used to convey her various emotions. A little yellow bird appears on each spread to remind readers that “God provides for the birds and flowers. He is faithfully watching over and providing for each one of us.” The backmatter includes a chart of feelings that uses a cute, color-coded creature to represent the sixteen feelings, ranging from anxious to confused to loved. There is also an infographic with ten calming skills that readers can use. 

Even though One Day at a Time is a picture book, the story is intended to be read aloud to a child, rather than for the child to read independently for the first time. One phrase is on almost every page: “Place your hand on your beating heart, God’s been with you from the start. He gives hope, makes you precious and kind.” The repetition helps reinforce the message that God is always with you. Emotion words are printed in different colors, providing adults with a way to pause and discuss the word with a child. Adults should read the story alone before reading it to a child because the text jumps around the page, which sometimes makes it difficult to know where to start reading. In addition, the text-heavy pages will make it difficult for wiggly readers to follow along as an adult reads the book. 

According to the author, “One Day at a Time is more than a book, it’s a trauma-informed faith-based tool designed to help children process big feelings, navigate foster care, and find hope.” Although One Day at a Time focuses on a foster child, all children will be able to relate to Lily’s emotions. Reading Lily’s story will help children develop empathy for others and learn valuable coping skills for themselves.  

Sexual Content  

• None 

Violence  

• None

Drugs and Alcohol  

• None 

Language  

• None 

Supernatural 

• None 

Spiritual Content  

• None