Suns Day

Splendid watercolor panoramas and a rounded landscape representing the Earth's curve illustrate Gerstein's warmhearted, childlike view of the sun's journey across the sky. ``At 5 o'clock in the morning / the sun comes up and begins the day,'' shows the sun nestled behind some hills next to a dark farmhouse. In the next line--``At 6 o'clock in the morning / chirping chicks pop out of eggs''--the sun is depicted as a golden chick, open-mouthed in anticipation of a new day. At the farmhouse, there are now signs that people are waking up; a girl catches the sunrise in the company of a cow. The dramatic vistas change from farmhouse to busy city; looking like a sunflower, the sun hangs over the highway as a produce truck rumbles into town. At noon, construction workers take out their lunches, and the sun becomes a delicious deli sandwich. It's an idea whose charms are delicate, but Gerstein acrobatically balances between the land of imagination and the earthbound actions of people. Ages 3-6. (Sept.)