19. Cherish Today: A Celebration of Life's Moments

I'm sure you're all familiar with this Dr. Seuss classic. I read it every year on the last day of school to my students. I still use the copy that I received as a gift when I graduated from high school. Even with all of Dr. Seuss' crazy scenarios and invented words, kids still understand the message. It is about the future...to expect difficult times and failure, but to in the end know who you are and how wonderful you are and that you will succeed.

But that's not the book I am reviewing...I am reviewing Cherish Today written and illustrated by the husband and wife team of Kristina Evans and Bryan Collier (remember him?). 

 

This book is also about the journey toward the future, but instead of focusing on where you end up going, it is more about the getting there. The book urges you to cherish the moment you are in and the road you are traveling. Though the book features an African-American girl and her journey, this book is for anyone as they are about to make their way through life.

The text is written in a style similar to Dr. Seuss, with a rhythmic, poetic quality. 

"You've accomplished your goals

And you're well on your way.

The future's tomorrow-

Cherish today!"

Evans' story is not of a chronological tale of a girl growing up (in fact, she doesn't age at all). Instead it is the advice that a loved one gives about the road ahead of her. There will times when things are hard and you aren't always the best, but the love and support of your friends and family will always be behind you. This book is like an updated, more realistic version of Dr. Seuss' classic. I could see giving it to any child/graduate about to go off on a new adventure. It is a sweet book full of love and caring.

Collier's signature watercolor and collage style adds to the thoughtful words. The muted palette of browns, greens, and blues ground the story in reality. Even the yellows are not too vibrant-- Collier wants to portray the landscapes and scenes with a sense of realism and give it sincerity and feeling. He continues to put balloons as a motif throughout the book, sometimes acting as a guide for the girl, sometimes representing the paths that each person chooses to take as they are 'set free'. 

The title page, endpapers and publishing pages feature a theme of blue and skies, often representative of freedom. As you go through the double page bleeds, you notice that Collier has an attention to detail in order to make the book as realistic as possible-- he even includes a clip chart in the classroom scene! The collage is so well positioned that it melds together and creates a unified scene on every page. We follow the girl along on her journey, each page turn showing us where she is headed next. His play with light and shadow help create the mood of the story, not excited, not sad, but contemplative. The only surrealism he allows to creep in is on the page where the advice tells the girl to think of those who came before her -- Collier paints some faces into the tree trunks, signifying those important people.

I probably would have never heard of this book if I hadn't studies Bryan Collier. I loved it and will gladly substitute it in for Oh, the Places You'll Go! on the last day of school. Everyone needs to be reminded that life can be hard, but in the end cherish today...even I need that reminder sometimes.