A New Green Day

Intriguing riddles introduce different aspects of a lush, green day that are revealed on the following page. “When I move, I measure. I’ll count out tickles across your hand,” reads one clue, while the following page reveals an inchworm. “I’m the rumble in the stomach of the storm. (Pardon me—must be something I ate),” states another, which the turn of the page reveals is said by thunder. Readers are posed various puzzles, some trickier than others, as they progress through the day, from sunrise shining on a pillow, to the dark, starry night. The entire book is a delightful celebration of nature, and some riddles are particularly artistic and perceptive: a leaf says it serves as a “map of my own green home,” and the accompanying illustration on the next page highlights the similarity between the shape and veins of a leaf and the shape and branches of a tree. On another page, a black tadpole, shown with a round head on a slightly J-curved body, is described as “a comma in the long, long sentence of the stream.” Portis’ prose is structured in a nice, unhurried flow that denotes a story well planned and well executed, and her illustrations match the theme of exploring nature—they’re fresh, earthy-toned neutrals mixed with pops of lively green.