How many times a week do you hear or speak the phrase “Have a good day!”? It’s what Daniel hears from his friendly neighbors. One sunny day, he sets out on a walk to Grandma’s house and decides to ask his good day–wishing neighbors, “What makes a good day for you?” Their answers reflect their specific jobs. For the newsstand seller, “Busy sidewalks and friendly faces” make a good day; for the baker, “birthdays” make a good day. On his return journey, Daniel is delighted to see his neighbors having their good days. When his mom asks, “How was your day?” Daniel lists each of the neighbor’s responses. And what happens when each of these things come together? For Daniel, it was "such a good day!”   

There are so many good picture books published every year. I’m always sending suggestions to friends, parents of students, and other librarians. I can hear myself now, “Oh, that’s a good one!” But what is it about a book that lifts it from a good picture book to such a good picture book? Or, what are the things that create a “such a good” Caldecott Medal book? Robin Smith is responsible for the foundation of my picture book education. She introduced me to key concepts like jacket flaps, endpapers, gutters, and vignette illustrations, but more importantly she showed me that there’s a type of magic that happens when words and pictures come together to tell a story. And when these books are shared with a rug full of children, that magic is dazzling. 

[Read the Horn Book Magazine review of Daniel's Good Day.]

Ten years of reading picture books through the lens of Robin and the Caldecott criteria has equipped me with the tools needed to answer the question, “What makes ‘such a good’ Caldecott Medal book for you?” Put succinctly, it's excellent art, interplay, and presentation. Micha Archer's Daniel’s Good Day excels in all three categories, lifting it from a good picture book to such a good picture book, one worthy of the Caldecott Medal.

Excellent Art: These might be my favorite illustrations of the year. Archer masterfully uses oil paints and multi-layered tissue paper collages, patterned with homemade rubber stamps, to create a vibrant, color-saturated, and textured neighborhood for Daniel and his friends. It takes skill to use so many different mediums while keeping the illustrations cohesive and uncluttered, but Archer pulls it off. And much to readers’ benefit. There is indeed layer upon layer of things to look at in each illustration. For example, in an illustration featuring a city bus, the driver and other passengers are rendered in oils. But for Archer's rendering of the bus I counted fourteen different types of patterns or papers. Vintage typeface letters and numbers are used to label the bus, and what appears to be an old rubber stamp is used as well. One of the other passengers has old bicycle wheels patterning her dress, and a headlight is created from an golden sheet of music. Leaves and flowers created from a myriad of different papers, rubber stamps, and punches give trees, parks, and flower gardens a 3D effect, and tissue-paper overlays add depth to everyday objects such curtains, clothes, and clouds. Again, there’s so much to notice in each illustration, but never do these rich details overpower or distract from the story.

Excellent Interplay: One of the Caldecott criteria (perhaps the one most frequently overlooked by readers like myself) is “appropriateness of style of illustration to the story, theme, or concept.” Archer’s multi-layered and cheerful artwork beautifully correlates to Daniel’s story. His neighborhood is filled with diversity, and each neighbor has a unique thing that makes his/her day “good," but they are all united by the fact that they are neighbors. Like Archer’s hand-crafted illustrations, they are unique but united. The neighbors’ expressions and body language (Emma lets Daniel fly her kite; the mailman bends down to talk to him) go far to show that the neighborhood is close-knit and caring. And then of course there are those necessary artistic details that add meaning and go beyond the text. One look at the two screaming babies makes it clear why “a long nap for the babies” is what makes a good day for the nanny, and Emma's kite soaring high in the blue sky affirms that she is indeed having a good day.

Excellent Presentation: Like Martha, I am an advocate for excellent picture books that can be enjoyed by the youngest of readers. With its minimal prose, accessible subject, and bright illustrations, Daniel’s Good Day immediately grabs children’s attention, but it does so much more than just offer an entertaining story. It illuminates the beauty in the simplest of moments and the importance of being aware of and thankful for small pleasures — like bees, birthdays, and smiling faces. A few days after I shared this book with my kindergarten students, our custodian stopped me in the hall and told me that a student had asked her, “What makes a good day for you?” Oh, the power of story!

Excellent art, excellent interplay, and excellent presentation make Daniel’s Good Day “such a good” Caldecott Medal book for me. Does it for you?