Tomorrow’s Lily

Watercolor lilies, which each “bloom/ for just/ one day,” blossom for varied subjects across a week’s time in these spring rhymes addressed to “pretty lily.” Establishing the short lifespan of the genus (“You open in the sun,/ and close at the moon,/ and your lily life is done”), prayerlike lines proceed day by day. Monday’s flower blooms for a rabbit infant, Tuesday’s “for the cat,” and onward through Sunday. Creamy pages form the backdrop to the naif-style florals washed in sunny reds, yellows, oranges, and blues, while docile-seeming garden creatures, including a turtle, duck, and bunny, look on. When closing pages draw a connection between lilies and people (“Just like lilies,/ we come and we go”), they lend a gravitas that resounds long after Raschka’s tender concluding plea: “Precious lily,// bloom for me.” Ages 4–8. (Feb.)