Emily Jenkins’ lively stream-of-conscious narrative is grounded in the experiences and perspective of a small girl describing her Wednesday routine. It’s a day for bagels at the deli and a trip to the park with Daddy, for school with friends, and for reading, napping, swimming, and a trip to the library with Mommy. “Then we go down the steps, up the block where we once saw an umbrella caught in a tree, past the bakery where we got that chocolate croissant . . . past my friend Errolyn’s building, past Maria and the shop where she lives, to home.” Jenkins offers a spot-on portrayal of a preschool-age child reveling in her “bigness” and secure in her world. “Today is not a kissing day,” the girl reminds Mommy, and Daddy, too, when he forgets. Kisses aside, there is plenty of love and warmth apparent in and between the lines, and in first-time illustrator Lauren Castillo’s expressive illustrations. Highly Commended, 2008 Charlotte Zolotow Award (Ages 3–6)

A preschooler marks the progress of her day, not by the clock but by what happens after lunch, after nap, after swimming, after the library - and after Daddy comes home. She doesn't map her neighborhood by street signs, either. Her morning walk to see dogs in the park takes her past the cat outside the deli, past her friend Errolyn's building and the daycare where she used to go when she was little, and down the block to the bagel store.

The sounds, tastes, smells, and sights of a multiethnic Brooklyn neighborhood, as seen through a child's eyes and captured with enchanting pictures by debut illustrator Lauren Castillo, will encourage children to make their own sensory maps and list the events in their daily schedules.