Good Golden Sun

Caldecott Honoree Wenzel’s saturated collage and mixed-media spreads trace the sun as it travels across Earth’s sky, while wide-eyed creatures ponder its light and warmth. “Good golden sun,” a bee asks while alighting on a radiant, just-opened flower, “do you ever get cold?/ For the world gets chilly/ while you’re off where you go.” A small, anxious mouse queries, “Are you up there staying safe?/ Do you think about the scary things that sometimes lie in wait?” A brown-skinned child working on a farm asks more questions—“Can you bounce?/ Can you roll?/ Do you sleep?/ Do you dream?”—then sings to the sun as it dwindles. Spreads visualize a never-ending web, turning interacting entities golden-hued as they meet. Among them, a bear that eats the bee’s honey on one page is stung by a mosquito that’s then gobbled by a bird; the mouse, meanwhile, becomes a meal for a fox. The orb remains an enigma (“Every day’s the same,” a child says, “You stay silent as you pass”), but its effects on Earth’s flora and fauna are slyly illuminated in this absorbing visual look at everything under the sun. Ages 4–8. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Feb.)