READY READERS Savoring Simple Pleasures

By Sheila Oliveri

Ready Readers recommends “Best Day Ever!” – a joyous romp that reminds families to slow down and savor life’s simple pleasures. Perfect for reading with your young ones, this story can foster discussions with children on how to remain positive when they’re struggling by putting their issues into a new perspective.

The narrator of the story is a rambunctious and adventurous terrier. Readers follow the dog through the course of her day and revel with pure enthusiasm as she wakes her family with sloppy kisses, digs for buried treasures in the backyard, chases cats and Frisbees in the park and even goes swimming in the lake. Although most of the day is packed with fun, things take a turn when the spunky pup has to take a bath and is scolded by her family. Suddenly, her “best day ever” turns into the “worst day ever.” Never fear – a happy conclusion awaits readers.

Throughout this sweet story, the playful puppy runs alongside her best friend – a little boy who uses a wheelchair. Although his wheelchair is always present in the story, it is never directly mentioned and is instead merely one part of the family’s life. Author Marilyn Singer and illustrator Leah Nixon show the pup and her best friend moving around the house, playing in the backyard and exploring the park, all while the boy is in his wheelchair. This subtle detail reminds readers that children who use wheelchairs are independent and capable of enjoying life as much as anyone else.

Books can serve as mirrors, windows and doors that allow us to recognize ourselves in stories, view another’s experience or invite us to imagine a life different than our own. “Best Day Ever!” provides readers the opportunity to engage in all those scenarios regardless of their physical abilities.

More than 12,000 preschool children in the Ready Readers Storytime Program will receive read-at-home copies of “Best Day Ever!” to ensure that under-resourced families across the St. Louis area have access to quality children’s literature.

Visit the website to learn more at readyreaders.org.

By Charlotte Renner | Photos supplied