Out Came the Sun: A Day in Nursery Rhymes

by Heather Collins (Illustrator)

Overview

Out Came the Sun is a collection of nursery rhymes, thoughtfully selected and beautifully illustrated by Heather Collins. The rhymes tell the comforting and familiar story of a child's day: waking up, washing and dressing, eating, playing indoors and outdoors, and going to sleep. Following a day from sun up to sun down, the rhymes were also chosen for their rhythms, patterns and sounds — to delight babies and toddlers, to make reading aloud fun and interactive for parents, and to encourage young children's engagement and response.

Familiar rhymes such as "Hickory, dickory, dock" and "I'm a little teapot" gain a new meaning in illustrator Heather Collins's story. From cock robin's lively waking up to the man in the moon's fond goodnight, more than 40 nursery rhymes follow a cuddly animal family through their day.

A feast for young eyes and ears, Out Came the Sun also encourages babies and toddlers to connect words, pictures and story — an essential first step in learning to read.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781553378815
Publisher:	Kids Can Press, Limited
Publication date:	09/28/2007
Pages:	96
Product dimensions:	9.37(w) x 9.87(h) x 0.62(d)
Age Range:	1 - 3 Years

About the Author

Heather Collins has been illustrating children's books for more than 20 years. Her body of work includes many nonfiction books, such as the award-winning A Pioneer Story and Out Came the Sun. She lives in Toronto, Ontario, with her husband and two children.

Editorial Reviews

Although this catergory is a crowded one, the manageable size and good-natured fun make this volume stand out.—Publishers Weekly

[R]ich and warm illustrations ...—Quill & Quire

From the Publisher

[Rich and warm illustrations ?

Quill & Quire

Collins arranges 45 mostly familiar nursery rhymes in a sun-up to sundown romp starring a multi-species stuffed animal family, who made similar appearances in her Traditional Fairy Tales series of board books. After baby animals eagerly rouse her, a plush mother hen presides over the preparation of breakfast to "pat-a-cake" and clean up to "higglety, pigglety, pop," wherein a droopy-eared puppy earns the otherwise even-tempered hen's ire by eating a mop. Then the group fans out over an idyllic town and countryside, and Collins adapts the rhymes in sometimes unexpected ways. "One, two, buckle my shoe," for instance, culminates in the building of a raft once sticks have been picked up and laid straight. Despite being put to bed, the animals head out for one last activity ("Boys and girls come out to play,/ The moon doth shine as bright as day"). Collins's watercolors display just enough verve and domestic humor to keep her subjects from turning twee; the mercurial, rambunctious pigs (who almost come to blows in "Who made the pie?") are particularly vivid. Although this category is a crowded one, the manageable size and good-natured fun make this volume stand out. Ages 6 mos.-3 yrs. (Oct.)

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Publishers Weekly

This unique book highlights 45 well-known nursery rhymes which have been carefully coordinated with illustrations to give the feeling of moving through a single day. Beginning with "Cock robin got up early/ At the break of day,/ and went to Elsie's window/ to sing a roundelay," the author matches the rhyme to the introduction of four of the characters—stuffed animals who share a lovely yellow house—who are illustrated and presented in a manner that is immediately charming and inviting to very young readers. The bright pastels as well as the carryover of details from page to page make this book a clear winner as a personal gift or an addition to a school or public library. I would also note that there are no missteps in terms of the choice of rhymes in terms of the feeling of moving through the day to the last rhyme of evening, "The man in the moon/ Looked out of the moon,/ Looked out of the moon and said,/ ‘It's time, I think, for all good children/To think about going to bed.'" The final page, showing the various animals sleeping after their wonderfully exhausting day, ends this lovely text perfectly. Reviewer: Jean Boreen, Ph.D.

Children's Literature - Jean Boreen

PreS-K In this attractive collection, Collins organizes 45 nursery rhymes in a slight semblance of a narrative story. Cheerfully rounded characters such as toy bears, pigs, dogs, kittens, and elephants perform daily activities as they gather around the kitchen table eating for "Pease Porridge Hot" and later as they pour and mix ingredients for "Pat-a-Cake." The soft, often primary-colored palette features a watercolor spread for each rhyme, imparting a gentle feel to the text. Compilations of nursery rhymes are plentiful, but collections constantly require updating; purchase where needed.-Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA

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