What do you think?
Rate this book
The Way to Start a Day
The way to start the day is to go outdoors and face the sun, making it welcome for the new day by your song or gift or blessing, as the cavemen did, and the Peruvians . . . and the people of Egypt, Africa and China . . . Parnall's geographic composition, his brilliant colors, and his precise and elegant use of the line reflect the strength and lyricism of the writing.--Bulletin, Center for Children's Book. Caldecott Honor Book; ALA Notable Children's Book; the Horn Book Fanfare List.
Library Binding
First published January 1, 1978
7 people are currently reading
380 people want to read
About the author
Byrd Baylor
57 books72 followersByrd Baylor has always lived in the Southwest, mainly in Southern Arizona near the Mexican border. She is at home with the southwestern desert cliffs and mesas, rocks and open skies. She is comforted by desert storms. The Tohono O’odham people, previously known as the Papagos, are her neighbors and close friends. She has focused many of her writings on the region’s landscape, peoples, and values. Through her books of rhythmic prose poetry, written primarily for children, she celebrates the beauty of nature and her own feelings of rapport with it.
Byrd has written many books for children.
Byrd has written many books for children.
Her books have been honored with many prestigious children’s book awards, including the Caldecott Award and the Texas Bluebonnet Award. All of her books are full of the places and the peoples that she knows. She thinks of these books as her own kind of private love songs to the place she calls home.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
May 12, 2019
This poem is beautiful. This book spoke to me.
I love the simple lines of text with lovely rhymes and I especially love this artwork. It looks like liquid rivers of color rolling down the page in beautiful displays, but it’s making skies of sunrises. It is simple brilliant artwork. I absolutely love it.
This is a great beginning book. It’s a way of thinking about a new day. Sing up the sun with your own song of greeting each day as is done all over the world. I need to take this to heart.
The niece was interested in all the colors and the idea of greeting the new day. She enjoyed this too. She gave this 4 stars. The nephew was interested in this story a little. He thought the artwork was cool, but he didn’t get swept up in the story. About halfway through this short book he said, ya ya ya, we got it, sing to the sun. He gave this 3 stars.
I love the simple lines of text with lovely rhymes and I especially love this artwork. It looks like liquid rivers of color rolling down the page in beautiful displays, but it’s making skies of sunrises. It is simple brilliant artwork. I absolutely love it.
This is a great beginning book. It’s a way of thinking about a new day. Sing up the sun with your own song of greeting each day as is done all over the world. I need to take this to heart.
The niece was interested in all the colors and the idea of greeting the new day. She enjoyed this too. She gave this 4 stars. The nephew was interested in this story a little. He thought the artwork was cool, but he didn’t get swept up in the story. About halfway through this short book he said, ya ya ya, we got it, sing to the sun. He gave this 3 stars.
February 22, 2016
While probably not entirely historically accurate, I did like the idea that despite our differences in time, place and culture, there are things that tie us together...for instance greeting a new day with a song, blessing or prayer. I also liked the reminder that greeting a new day is something to celebrate, to appreciate and give thanks for. I do wish there were an author's note that contained more information about various cultures' practices and an included bibliography. The artwork is simple but beautiful.
November 21, 2012
Nice title, very '70s drawings, but this volume works best for those who are comfortable in or exploring the native or traditional or earth religions from around the world. While the Bible celebrates the beginning of a new day with the rising of the sun, the sun itself, rather than an object of worship or communion, joins in the worship of its Creator.
November 21, 2012
Peter Parnall collaborated with Byrd Baylor on eight more books, two more of which he won Caldecott honors for, in addition to this one in 1979. I have been in love with his artwork for awhile, and owned another of his books as a kid, called "Apricot ABC." For his complete bibliography of illustrated books, see this website: http://www.parnall.pagebooks.net/. The author grew up in the Southwest and lives near the Arizona-Mexico border.
This book, written in free-verse poetry, is about sunrises and how many cultures all over the world worship and praise the sun. Cultures such as the cavemen, Ancient Egyptians, Native Americans, Peruvians and Africans are featured. It is about thanking the sun for bringing forth a new day by greeting it every morning. I found these lesson plans on the book (http://www.uniqueteachingresources.co...). As Seth D. Webb commented in this blogpost (http://radicalmontessori.blogspot.com...), "In the push for digital literacy we cannot forget and forgo the importance of children feeling the world around them. It is not enough to show; we must provide experiences for them to do: to touch, to smell, to listen, to taste, to be still and to know." And this book does just that. Highly recommended for ages 4-9, 5 stars.
This book, written in free-verse poetry, is about sunrises and how many cultures all over the world worship and praise the sun. Cultures such as the cavemen, Ancient Egyptians, Native Americans, Peruvians and Africans are featured. It is about thanking the sun for bringing forth a new day by greeting it every morning. I found these lesson plans on the book (http://www.uniqueteachingresources.co...). As Seth D. Webb commented in this blogpost (http://radicalmontessori.blogspot.com...), "In the push for digital literacy we cannot forget and forgo the importance of children feeling the world around them. It is not enough to show; we must provide experiences for them to do: to touch, to smell, to listen, to taste, to be still and to know." And this book does just that. Highly recommended for ages 4-9, 5 stars.
October 23, 2009
We all can greet the day, praise the sun, and support the living earth. "A morning needs to be sung to. A new day needs to be honored."
Gorgeously depicted, brilliantly told, This 1979 Caldecott winner awakens the spirit of renewal and reminds me that a new day is a one-time event. Celebrate it!
Gorgeously depicted, brilliantly told, This 1979 Caldecott winner awakens the spirit of renewal and reminds me that a new day is a one-time event. Celebrate it!
January 6, 2009
Each day should be a celebration. I love the illustrations by Peter Parnall in Byrd Baylor's books.
June 21, 2010
Another beautiful and beautifully illustrated book. This Caldecott-honor book is another gem. Read this with your children and, together, discover YOUR way to start a day!
November 18, 2015
A good kid's book with little tidbits about different religions and cultures without ever actually mentioning them. Just their reflections on the sun.
September 18, 2023
Makes me love morning!
How would our days go differently if we actually greeted the sun, something that we know innately and have forgotten. Let us remember and join sister sun intentionally every morning. I now will always greet the day, the sun rise, morning, forever with a sense of gratefulness for her sun’s presence.
How would our days go differently if we actually greeted the sun, something that we know innately and have forgotten. Let us remember and join sister sun intentionally every morning. I now will always greet the day, the sun rise, morning, forever with a sense of gratefulness for her sun’s presence.
May 8, 2022
Blessing the sun as the energy returns to bring the morning! An intro to sun worship historically and cross-culturally with simply gorgeous illustrations of sun worshippers around the world. Worth the read just for the amazing pictures!!
December 8, 2018
"The Way to Start a Day" received the Caldecott Honor, and I have chosen to give it 4 out of 5 stars because of the positive message portrayed in the story as well as the beautiful illustrations. The story line is unique, as it focuses on the sun and the various ways in which people from all over the world start a new day each day. The differences between cultures are celebrated, which makes this book unique and very applicable to real life. The illustrations are simple, yet vibrant and eye-catching. The front cover features a white background with the beginning stages of a colorful sunrise. With each page that is turned, the sunrise becomes bigger, brighter, and displays many different colors than were previously shown. Some of the pages feature people from different cultures as they showcase their morning rituals and how they welcome the sun each day. The story describes these practices in ways that children would be able to comprehend. The medium for the illustrations is mixed, including both pen and ink, as well as watercolor. The style of illustrations is best described as Folk or Native art, because they are somewhat realistic but the colors are exaggerated. On each page, the text is short and simple. Some of the illustrations run across the gutter, taking up nearly the entire page. I thought this book was very interesting and would be a great resource in a classroom.
December 4, 2017
Genre: Historical Fiction
Grade:3-5
This book tells of different ways to greet the Sun. I liked the illustrations in this book they are filled with radiant colors that the sun has when it rises and sets. Its extremely beautiful and lifelike. The book is a cool way to look at the culture of others and how they greet the sun. It takes a look at the past and talks about the Aztecs and Egyptians. This is a really cool book.
Grade:3-5
This book tells of different ways to greet the Sun. I liked the illustrations in this book they are filled with radiant colors that the sun has when it rises and sets. Its extremely beautiful and lifelike. The book is a cool way to look at the culture of others and how they greet the sun. It takes a look at the past and talks about the Aztecs and Egyptians. This is a really cool book.
July 11, 2017
This historical non-fiction picture book explains different cultures and how they celebrate the sun rising. This book features many abstract illustrations that really help the reader think about the meaning and traditions of other cultures. This book can help students understand the difference in cultures and accept that everyone is different and thinks differently.
October 19, 2017
• 1979 Caldecott Honor Book •
I had that song, "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" stuck in my head when I started reading this book. It just screams 1970s! I love it. The message is really lovely, and the art isn't to my taste, but it's really unique and different and goes well with the text.
Materials used: unlisted
Typeface used: unlisted
I had that song, "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" stuck in my head when I started reading this book. It just screams 1970s! I love it. The message is really lovely, and the art isn't to my taste, but it's really unique and different and goes well with the text.
Materials used: unlisted
Typeface used: unlisted
August 8, 2017
With a nice 70's feel, I would have been okay with this if it was about one culture or person greeting the sun each day. Instead, it felt almost like a religious text, which I didn't care for. It was almost a book about sun-worship, a theme which I do not prefer.
December 26, 2018
Anything by Byrd Baylor is great to read to kids or adults!
March 5, 2019
Reads like music.
May 11, 2021
The way to start a day is this—go outside and feast the east and greet the sun with some kind of blessing or chant or song that you made yourself and keep for early morning.
Many others in the past and present have celebrated the dawn. Sunrise is a symbol of birth and rebirth, of awakening, of the coming of light. Baylor says, "A morning needs to be sung to; a new day needs to be honored. Welcoming the sun provides us with the opportunity to offer our gratitude to the sun for its life-giving light and invites us to recognize that our existence is dependent upon something bigger than ourselves. Without the sun, life on Earth would not be possible. All life on the planet requires energy in some form for survival, and all of the energy in the Earth’s biosphere originates from the sun.
Some people say there is a new sun every day, that is begins its life at dawn and lives for one day only. They say you have to welcome it. You have to make a good world for it to live its one-day life in."
Byrd Baylor is an amazing writer. She makes the desert Southwest come to life, in a poetic, lyrical way. My 10-year-old and I binge-read a number of Byrd Baylor books along with this one, including Everybody Needs a Rock, The Table Where Rich People Sit, I'm in Charge of Celebrations, The Desert Is Theirs, and Hawk, I'm Your Brother. We loved them all.
Baylor writes from her home in Arizona, where her prose shows the connection found between the land and the people who live on it. She focuses on the values of a simple lifestyle, nature and family. Baylor lives in an adobe house that does not have electricity, but does have solar-power and three manual typewriters. She considers the southwestern desert cliffs and mesas, rocks, and open skies part of her home. Her driveway is a rutted, rock-filled track that meanders through the desert for several miles before arriving at her door.
She says of her books “All of them relate in some way to my passion for the desert, its landforms and plants and animals and people, and always its power.”
Many others in the past and present have celebrated the dawn. Sunrise is a symbol of birth and rebirth, of awakening, of the coming of light. Baylor says, "A morning needs to be sung to; a new day needs to be honored. Welcoming the sun provides us with the opportunity to offer our gratitude to the sun for its life-giving light and invites us to recognize that our existence is dependent upon something bigger than ourselves. Without the sun, life on Earth would not be possible. All life on the planet requires energy in some form for survival, and all of the energy in the Earth’s biosphere originates from the sun.
Some people say there is a new sun every day, that is begins its life at dawn and lives for one day only. They say you have to welcome it. You have to make a good world for it to live its one-day life in."
Byrd Baylor is an amazing writer. She makes the desert Southwest come to life, in a poetic, lyrical way. My 10-year-old and I binge-read a number of Byrd Baylor books along with this one, including Everybody Needs a Rock, The Table Where Rich People Sit, I'm in Charge of Celebrations, The Desert Is Theirs, and Hawk, I'm Your Brother. We loved them all.
Baylor writes from her home in Arizona, where her prose shows the connection found between the land and the people who live on it. She focuses on the values of a simple lifestyle, nature and family. Baylor lives in an adobe house that does not have electricity, but does have solar-power and three manual typewriters. She considers the southwestern desert cliffs and mesas, rocks, and open skies part of her home. Her driveway is a rutted, rock-filled track that meanders through the desert for several miles before arriving at her door.
She says of her books “All of them relate in some way to my passion for the desert, its landforms and plants and animals and people, and always its power.”
August 28, 2020
#Children Literature Grade 3+
This book is a work of art and unique to me. The way Baylor and Parnall styled the book is not normal. Baylor words are shaped for readers to read vertically were length is prioritize over normal format where width leads. Baylor uses the sunrise as a focal point to showcase the theme " Rejoice in everyday that you are here and treat everyday like a new one" This is not direct but Baylor showcase different cultures all around the world and their cultural ways of given praise to the sun. I find this great for kids to see some ancient civilization as well (Aztec, Peru, Egyptians).
Parnall art style is abstract. He use vibrant warm sun tones /colors to paint nature, clothes, and to outline the people. Every picture has unique important architect of that civilization and the people pop out of the colors.
I was put off at first to why their true skin color wasn't represented because the first two pages the people had color but when it Baylor gotten to specific culture like Congo, India, or Aztec the color was flushed out. I looked up Parnall and this is his signature style (Abstract with strong colors highlighting certain parts and a strong dots to create texture) so I know him leaving the color of the people out was not to take away from their culture. Though I think the presentation of their skin tone could have been great for representation.
This book is a work of art and unique to me. The way Baylor and Parnall styled the book is not normal. Baylor words are shaped for readers to read vertically were length is prioritize over normal format where width leads. Baylor uses the sunrise as a focal point to showcase the theme " Rejoice in everyday that you are here and treat everyday like a new one" This is not direct but Baylor showcase different cultures all around the world and their cultural ways of given praise to the sun. I find this great for kids to see some ancient civilization as well (Aztec, Peru, Egyptians).
Parnall art style is abstract. He use vibrant warm sun tones /colors to paint nature, clothes, and to outline the people. Every picture has unique important architect of that civilization and the people pop out of the colors.
I was put off at first to why their true skin color wasn't represented because the first two pages the people had color but when it Baylor gotten to specific culture like Congo, India, or Aztec the color was flushed out. I looked up Parnall and this is his signature style (Abstract with strong colors highlighting certain parts and a strong dots to create texture) so I know him leaving the color of the people out was not to take away from their culture. Though I think the presentation of their skin tone could have been great for representation.
September 4, 2020
Theme: How people all over the world celebrate/greet the sunrise.
In different cultures and countries, people are demonstrated that they have different routines or ways to start the day happily. It shows how people "sing" to the sun through poems of native tribes and great civilizations. From the book having different shades of yellow, red, and orange as part of the landscaping kids can make the connection of people's traditions. The coloring and pictures were somewhat repetitive with the focus of the sun being used on almost every page. The other reason I rated it as such is that it's misleading with the historical context of the story. Some cultures saw the sun as being grateful for another day on earth, but it's not true when people know the history of why they do it. The message is something that I agree upon by Byrd Baylor but the way she expresses it is something that needs to be worked on.
In different cultures and countries, people are demonstrated that they have different routines or ways to start the day happily. It shows how people "sing" to the sun through poems of native tribes and great civilizations. From the book having different shades of yellow, red, and orange as part of the landscaping kids can make the connection of people's traditions. The coloring and pictures were somewhat repetitive with the focus of the sun being used on almost every page. The other reason I rated it as such is that it's misleading with the historical context of the story. Some cultures saw the sun as being grateful for another day on earth, but it's not true when people know the history of why they do it. The message is something that I agree upon by Byrd Baylor but the way she expresses it is something that needs to be worked on.
June 22, 2024
This book is good to explain humanity's inclination to worship and how many cultures have worshiped the Sun. There are people groups mentioned from every continent represented but Europe and Oceania with an emphasis on Native Americans of the Southwest, which makes sense considering Byrd Baylor is the author. It encourages taking time to revel in and reflect on the Sun. As a Christian, I do not agree with this, but I could l still see using this in the classroom as a means of discussing world religions.
The illustrations are interesting but not immediately arresting. The illustrations would also not be easily visible if you were showing the pictures to a group of children seated on the floor. It would be better on a document camera or as a before-bed book.
The illustrations are interesting but not immediately arresting. The illustrations would also not be easily visible if you were showing the pictures to a group of children seated on the floor. It would be better on a document camera or as a before-bed book.
February 16, 2023
If you're into nature-loving, spiritual connection-type books, Byrd Baylor is excellent. The Way to Start a Day (1977) with illustrations by Peter Parnall is a wonderful book about how each of us should start the day, and that is by facing the east and giving thanks, and saying a little self-song to the sun. It also tells of how people from all over the world, and from the beginning of time to the present, have used the sun as a way of giving thanks to the day, their life, and nature. Baylor and Parnall are an excellent writing/illustrating team and their books I've found it to bee a type of self-mediation, which is rare to find in children's picture books. I'm digging it. My rating - 4/5
December 29, 2022
I wish I were a morning person. And that seeing the same sun were enough to make humans set aside their differences. It’s a beautiful idea—implicit, perhaps—in this book that sings the praises of the sun through allusions to world traditions.
I also wish we got more sun this time of year in Michigan. Ugh! LOL.
I also wish we got more sun this time of year in Michigan. Ugh! LOL.
July 15, 2025
This art evokes a lot of emotion in me, as the Southwest takes up such a huge amount of space in my imagination and heart. The book takes a look at many multicultural traditions and examines the liminal morning hours, weaving together what we share while showing us the through line with bold 60-70s color and design.
January 31, 2018
Poetry is paired with super sparse illustrations that remind me of the illustrations dentists used to have in their office.
July 20, 2018
All religions are one religion, so a common ritual is basically the same and you, too, can find your own way to do it.
November 12, 2018
Cute and educational!
December 20, 2018
What a great story that links similarities among very different people living in very different places, and also shares a reverence for nature! I loved it.
March 16, 2019
Very beautiful and artistic book about different cultural morning rituals that encourages the reader to greet each day as a new one and make it a good one.
April 24, 2019
I liked how this book had nice illustrations and touched on different cultures.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews