The Sun Shines Everywhere

Former children’s poet laureate Hoberman celebrates the stalwart star that makes life possible and connects people regardless of where they live: “The world takes turns at day and night/ And each side has its share./ The sun is shining all the time!/ The sun shines everywhere!” The language is conversational, with lilting, playful internal and external rhymes: when Hoberman notes that the sun is important even to nocturnal animals, she singles out “the owls who hoot, the moles who root,/ The bats who swoop in flight.” Full-bleed spreads and spot illustrations by Lozano (Miles of Smiles) are rendered in soft colors and populated by rosy-cheeked folks and happy animals under a smiling, blossomlike sun. Some illustrations feel a little like a throwback to Disney’s It’s a Small World attraction—the Parisian child, dressed in traditional artist’s gear, stands by the Eiffel Tower; Chinese kids play a fishing game while a bright red Paifang rises in the background. Still, there’s a lot to be said for spreading a little sunshine through unironic high spirits and unalloyed good nature. Ages 4–8. [em]Author’s agent: Gina Maccoby, Gina Maccoby Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Kirsten Hall, Catbird. (Mar.) [/em]