Buttercup's Lovely Day.

Alison Mews is co-ordinator of the Centre for Instructional Services at
Memorial University of Newfoundland.

This gorgeous picture book, created by two talented sisters in Ontario, celebrates a perfect summer day—from the perspective of a contented cow.

Carolyn Beck uses evocative language to express Buttercup’s quiet joys in her pastoral surroundings. She recounts the things she loves about “lazy, languorous, lingery long days”: including the cooling creek as it “bubbles and guggles” through her legs; the fuzzy, buzzy bee that stomps on her snout; the silent clouds that “string silly tales”; and especially the man who leads her to the barn with its “tree-tall walls” and “cow-filled stalls.” The lyrical verses can be read as a single poetic ode or as individual poems.

Andrea Beck, creator of the anthropomorphic Elliot Moose stories, has abandoned her pencil crayon for acrylic paint on watercolour paper. The resulting soft and dreamy landscapes provide a portrayal of bovine bliss that perfectly captures the contemplative mood. She has used the greens and blues of summer along with many incidences of buttercup yellow, from the sunny opening endpapers to the buttery sun and washes of golden meadow flowers. As the day progresses, the landscape gradually darkens until Buttercup is bathed in moonlight, and the final endpapers reflect the night sky. A perfect book to share at the end of a day or to inspire children to compose their own appreciative poems. Highly recommended.