Hello, friends! Our book today is A Most Unusual Day, written by Sydra Mallery and illustrated by E. B. Goodale, a beautiful book about a distracted little girl.

Most days, Caroline is eager to get out of bed and start her day – but not today. She feels unusually nervous and stressed, and it shows in her demeanor in different ways. When rushing to the bus, she’s unusually forgetful, leaving without her lunchbox or socks. At school, she is unusually clumsy and inattentive – she tries to participate in lessons and help clean up after, but she ends up making a mess of both. The reader is given hints – that her grandmother is watching her, that she is preparing for changes at home, that air travel is on her mind – that something big is coming. And sure enough, when her parents arrive to pick her up from school, they are exhausted and excited, and holding a blanket-bundled little baby from very far away – Caroline’s new baby sister. Caroline decides that this was indeed a most unusual day; it’s the day her family became complete.

Really, really lovely. From the way the plot slowly teases and unfolds the cause behind Caroline’s odd behavior, the honest display of both the apprehension and joy of welcoming a new sibling, even the fact that Caroline’s family is of color (nearly every adoption book I’ve seen up until now features a white family, especially transracial/transnational adoptions); every detail makes the story sweet, honest, yet wonderfully unique. The illustrations are bright, colorful, and full of classic storybook charm that feels timeless. The length is great, and JJ loved it. A fantastic book for big siblings getting ready to welcome a new baby, via adoption or otherwise, and it’s Baby Bookworm approved!