A Most Unusual Day

Everything is off-kilter for Caroline from the moment Grandma wakes her. In their rush for the bus, they forget her socks and her lunch box (%E2%80%9CHer feet were sweaty and she had to eat school lunch%E2%80%9D); she overfeeds the class goldfish; and she spills the paint water while cleaning up the art center. Small moments offer clues for all of this discombobulation: at lunch, Caroline lines up a tiny pea next to mom-, dad-, and daughter-sized stalks of broccoli, and in class, she practices feeding a baby doll. At last, her parents arrive carrying a %E2%80%9Cbundle from far, far away%E2%80%9D%E2%80%94a new baby sister, who immediately grasps Caroline%E2%80%99s finger, winning her over. Mallery, a poet, makes expert use of rhythm and repetition to give a palpable sense of Caroline%E2%80%99s anxiety, anticipation, and final acceptance, while Goodale%E2%80%99s (Windows) standout ink-and-watercolor digital collages reflect both the particulars of a child%E2%80%99s world and the sweeping enormity of her feelings. An adoption story from the fresh viewpoint of an older sister, Mallery%E2%80%99s debut captures a child%E2%80%99s universal feelings with remarkable warmth and sensitivity. Ages 4%E2%80%938. Author%E2%80%99s agent: Douglas Stewart, Sterling Lord Literistic. Illustrator%E2%80%99s agent: Lori Kilkelly, Rodeen Literary Management. (Apr.)