The Day Saida Arrived
In young Martin’s family, Sundays are a tradition with the same people and the same food, week after week. The grown-ups enjoyed the familiar custom, but Martin wanted more. He wanted adventure. So on this Sunday, while grandpa, grandma, mom, and dad were busy doing their adult things—like laundry, cooking, and resting in front of the television—Martin and his dog Maize set out on a world adventure.
From volcanoes to ice caps, deserts to rainforests, riding camels to embarking pirate ships, this pair of explorers left no stone unturned. And after courageously making their way home, exhausted from their extraordinary exploits, they regale their family with how this marvelous and magical Sunday was like no other.
With the timeless feel of beloved children’s books of an earlier era, Marcelo Tolentino’s Sunday is reminiscent of the wild imagination of Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are and the nostalgic illustrations of Don Freeman’s Corduroy. While families will relate to the simplicity of enjoyed customs such as generational family dinners, young readers will delight in the clever and creative journey of a young boy and his dog. Tolentino brings a masterfully measured succinctness to the text that allows the beautifully childlike imagination of the story to marvelously unfold.
Families and educators of young children will welcome this enduring tale as a playful read-aloud they can return to again and again. Each spread is a story unto itself, with small details to be found anew with each reading. Sunday is a worthy read that celebrates the wonder of imagination, the traditions of family, and the treasure that is childhood.
