Today is the Day

written by Eric Walters 
and illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes

© 2015. Canada. Tundra Books. Biography.
Lexile Measure: 220L
Picture Book. Diverse Protagonist. Written in last 4 years.

It's a special day at the orphanage and Mutanu just can't wait. Every year, the orphanage honors the children by holding a special birthday ceremony for the orphans, many of which do not know their actual birthdays. And today is the day, a celebration of life for the children.

This is a really sweet book that is the true story of an orphanage in Kenya. I would give this book a 27/32 (Children's Literature Evaluatio). I love that this is a multicultural book and I really liked this book because it brings awareness to children about social issues relating to poverty that are happening in the world, and possibly within their own communities. This book can be used to teach kindness and compassion for those who live in poverty or have a different lifestyle, as well as how doing something for someone else, even if it seems small, can make a big impact. 

In the back of the book, there is information about The Creation of Hope, which is the orphanage that the story is about. There are even pictures of Mutanu, the main character of the story. It explains why many of the children in the orphanage do not know their birthdays, as well as the number of children who have received a birthday party, what kinds of prizes they get in their bags, and more. This book is appropriate for all ages.

Here are some literary elements that you may want to explore in this book...

Em-dash: Through out the book, the author uses em-dashes. Through out the book, the author uses em-dashes 5 times. Have students read the sentences with em-dashes to figure out the purpose of them. Students can also look for em-dashes in other texts that they read and try to write em-dashes in their own writing.

Genre: A biography is an account of someones real life experiences written by someone else. This book is written as a biography about an experience that Mutanu has. For this reason, this would be a great book to include when discussing different types of genres.

Theme: This is a great book to dig deep into the messages of, such as happiness, kindness, and giving. Students can find books with similar themes and create book lists according to the theme.

Social Justice Theme: Poverty