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The Way to Start a Day Hardcover – Picture Book, July 1, 1978

4.8 out of 5 stars 188 ratings

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Beautiful paintings highlight the ways various peoples from around the world welcome the sun and the start of a new day in this Caldecott Honor–winning picture book.

Some people say there is a new sun every day, and that it begins its life at dawn and lives for one day only. They say you have to welcome it.

From cavemen, to the Aztecs, to the ancient Egyptians, Baylor Bird describes the ways that people throughout history and the world celebrated the dawn. By the end you may be inspired to create your own song for the sunrise.
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Byrd Baylor lives and writes in Arizona, presenting images of the Southwest and an intense connection between the land and the people. Her prose illustrates vividly the value of simplicity, the natural world, and the balance of life within it.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Atheneum Books for Young Readers
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 1, 1978
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ First Edition
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 32 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0684156512
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0684156514
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.6 ounces
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 4 - 8 years
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.75 x 0.3 x 10 inches
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ Preschool - 3
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ AD600L
  • Best Sellers Rank: #759,257 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 out of 5 stars 188 ratings

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Byrd Baylor
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Baylor lives and writes in Arizona, presenting images of the Southwest and an intense connection between the land and the people. Her prose illustrates vividly the value of simplicity, the natural world, and the balance of life within it.

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
188 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers appreciate the book's elegant artwork and flowing illustrations. The prose is easy to understand, with one customer noting how it encourages connections to the past. Customers find the book readable, with one mentioning it can be read to small children, and consider it profound, with one describing it as a must-read for spiritually connected families.

16 customers mention "Artwork"16 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the artwork in the book, describing it as elegant, flowing, and colorful.

"Love this book and this author. Beautiful, sweet lessons. My 3 year old loves this story and always has lots of questions." Read more

"I love these books by Bryd Baylor, illustrated by Peter Parnell...." Read more

"...They are beautiful in word and pictures." Read more

"Profound. SImple. Elegant. It's hard to go wrong with the books written by Byrd Baylor and illustrated by Peter Parnall...." Read more

9 customers mention "Pacing"9 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's pacing, finding it easy to understand, with one customer noting how it encourages connections to the past.

"...Adults will appreciate the sensitivity of the words and the pictures and the identification of all of life in an interconnected sense of all...." Read more

"Byrd Baylor's prose is breaktaking!..." Read more

"Profound. SImple. Elegant. It's hard to go wrong with the books written by Byrd Baylor and illustrated by Peter Parnall...." Read more

"This book is a classic! It’s simple enough for a child to understand and enjoy, yet spiritually profound at the same time." Read more

9 customers mention "Readability"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book readable, with one mentioning it can be read to small children, and another noting it's more abstract than most children's books.

"...They can be read to small children who will quickly be able to read them before they are actual readers...." Read more

"...Very respectful of the reader-child. I cannot say enough about this particular title or any others by this team." Read more

"This book is a classic! It’s simple enough for a child to understand and enjoy, yet spiritually profound at the same time." Read more

"Love this book and this author. Beautiful, sweet lessons. My 3 year old loves this story and always has lots of questions." Read more

6 customers mention "Spiritual content"6 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the spiritual content of the book, describing it as profound, with one customer noting its ability to remind readers of important life lessons.

"...the sensitivity of the words and the pictures and the identification of all of life in an interconnected sense of all...." Read more

"Profound. SImple. Elegant. It's hard to go wrong with the books written by Byrd Baylor and illustrated by Peter Parnall...." Read more

"...This book is good at reminding all of us to do that." Read more

"...It’s simple enough for a child to understand and enjoy, yet spiritually profound at the same time." Read more

3 customers mention "Story quality"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the story lovely.

"Love it! Story is as lovely as other Byrd books. Illustrations are colorful and gorgeous!" Read more

"beautiful story--my 3 and 5 year olds (girl and boy) are mesmerized by the artwork." Read more

"Great story!..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2019
    I love these books by Bryd Baylor, illustrated by Peter Parnell. They can be read to small children who will quickly be able to read them before they are actual readers. Adults will appreciate the sensitivity of the words and the pictures and the identification of all of life in an interconnected sense of all. I spent many years on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona and New Mexico, and can identify with the author's appreciation of the land and Native peoples. thank you for sharing your talents with the rest of us.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2015
    Byrd Baylor's prose is breaktaking! And The Way To Start A Day joins I'm In Charge Of Celebrations as standards in my teacher training workshops as I guide elementary educators in finding the framework within which to put curiosity and the response "belief systems". . . so that we can stop using labels such as myths, stories, religion. . . even scientific notions. They are all the product of people being curious about their world. It is a wonderful world and consider also Byrd Baylor's Hawk I Am Your Brother, The Table Where The Rich People Sit, and of course - Everyone Needs A Rock, and Your Own Best Secret Place. We've a special section of our library shelf for all of them. . . read and re-read. And now sharing them with a new generation.
    7 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2018
    I bought several of Byrd Baylor and Peter Parnell's books for my kindle , because I needed them quick for a science/social studies study about the desert. I love these books and could not find them in our library. I do suggest you get the hardbound versions for yourself. They are beautiful in word and pictures.
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2014
    Profound. SImple. Elegant. It's hard to go wrong with the books written by Byrd Baylor and illustrated by Peter Parnall.
    I am a former Montessori teacher and used these books every year. I include them in my Children's Peace Bibliography that I share with other teachers. The messages in these books are always "big" but never told in a preachy tone or patronizing manner. Very respectful of the reader-child.
    I cannot say enough about this particular title or any others by this team.
    13 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2014
    There aren't many kids books out there like this. Sometimes I want to introduce more reverence for nature & spirit to my daughter and I can't always think of good ways to do it. Kids are naturally good at being in the moment, but it's important to find ways to remind them of the sweetness in choosing to be mindful and to connect with something bigger than themselves. This book is good at reminding all of us to do that.
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2014
    I wish something had been done to remaster the images. This was a Caldecott medal book, for heaven's sake! Don't just scan the pages!

    I will probably end up purchasing a paperback edition for the book shelf when there are grandkids... in the mean time, this will do. But still... really... a Caldecott honor book should look better than this in digital format.
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2021
    Love it! Story is as lovely as other Byrd books. Illustrations are colorful and gorgeous!
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2020
    This book is a classic! It’s simple enough for a child to understand and enjoy, yet spiritually profound at the same time.

Top reviews from other countries

  • Qristine
    5.0 out of 5 stars unexpectedly poetic
    Reviewed in Canada on November 8, 2018
    gorgeous and unusually poetic for a childrens book...
  • Ms Marianne Brooks
    5.0 out of 5 stars Calms me down to earth every time!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 22, 2014
    Bought one for my yoga instructor, one for my mum - a yogi, one for my gorgeous mother earth of a sister-in-law, this one is for me! Love it, the literary person's meditation.
  • emma
    3.0 out of 5 stars Its alright but not one that the kids ask for ...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 22, 2016
    Its alright but not one that the kids ask for again and again. I have a 5 and 8 year old and they seem to think its okay.
  • retired teacher
    4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on April 10, 2015
    I love all Byrd Baylor's books for their illustrations and the messages/stories they tell.