The Next Fine Day

by Elizabeth Yates, Nora S. Unwin (Illustrator)

The Next Fine Day is historical fiction by award-winning author Elizabeth Yates. Each spring for hundreds of years, the herons have returned to Chilham, England, but only now have they become important to Kent. Their departure this fall marks the beginning of a new life for his mother, who has closed her heart to love, and for Kent, who thinks of himself as Nobody. Kent’s life is changed forever when he meets an artist who has come to paint the herons of Chilham.

Genres: Fiction

150 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1994

About the author

Elizabeth Yates, author of over forty books for children, was born in New York State on December 6th, 1905. Determined to be an author, she moved to New York City to launch her career. She worked a variety of jobs including reviewing book, writing short stories, and doing research. She moved to England with her husband and wrote her first book, High Holiday, based on her travels in Switzerland with her three children. The family returned to the U.S. in 1939 and settled in New Hampshire. Yates won the Newbery Award in 1951 for her book, Amos Fortune, Free Man, a biography of an African prince who is enslaved and taken to America.

Yates conducted writer's workshops at the University of New Hampshire, the University of Connecticut, and Indiana University. She also served as the Director of the New Hampshire Association for the Blind.

Yates was widowed in 1963. Elizabeth Yates died Sunday at a hospice in Concord, New Hampshire on July 29, 2001 at the age of 95.

Elizabeth Yates' books have been described as "the result of extensive research, a strong underlying belief in God, and a vivid imagination."

Reviews

[Teri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read by Elizabeth Yates. I loved it. A beautifully written story. We read it for a book club and someone said this book is about connections. I thought it a very insightful observation. Connections with various relationships as well as with history and nature. The imagery in this book will stay with me for sometime. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

I love reading older books. Many are out of print and it can be hard to find a copy. For reading in a book club I was happy to see there was a kindle edition. I had an original hardcover copy of the book and others in the book group had the digital copy. There was one integral part I was excited to discuss with friends. As I mentioned it, we all discovered this had been edited out of the kindle version. A friend and I later went through that chapter and other parts had been cut out. Try to find an older copy of this book if possible.

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very sweet story. When I picked up a discarded library copy, I couldn't tell which audience it was intended for. A quick check on Amazon told me that it is intended for ages 9-12. Having taught these ages in both classroom and homeschool environments, I do not think most children of this age group would appreciate it. With the book's second half geared more towards the mother's growth, I think this is especially true.

With that said, I enjoyed the gentleness of the story. As is common of this era and genre of literature, there are no big plot twists or fast-paced storylines. But there are endearing relationships and character growth. All in all, it is a satisfying read and takes the reader on a delightful visit to another time and place.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a short book with character and perspective, but not beyond an upper elementary child’s grasp and still profound enough to spell out some good lessons to an adult. Vague? Probably. But I don’t want to give more details than the book’s summary does. Discovering the story as it unfolded made it more enjoyable.

John Rivven taught me as much as he taught Kent.

I wasn’t satisfied with the explanation for Kent’s initial view of himself and life in the beginning, but after his mother’s flashbacks, I’m okay.

[Erin Pierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story.

[Wayne Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eleven-year-old Kent Conner lives with his mother Maidey in the small village of Chilham where each spring, for hundreds of year, the herons have returned. It is in southern England, on the River Stour in the county of Kent, not far from Canterbury where Maidey works as a housekeeper. His father, also named Kent Conner, was an American serviceman from Virginia who was stationed at Lympne in England, married Maidey, and then was killed in an accident when Kent was just four. As a result of their loss, Maidey has closed her heart to love and Kent, though he does well in school, thinks of himself as Nobody. Mr. Conner’s body is buried in the local churchyard, but Maidey never goes there.

Then, one fall, into their lives comes an artist named John Rivven, who has moved into Beekeep, a formerly vacant cottage in Chilham. He meets Kent when the boy is walking home from school and starts telling him all kinds of stories about the herons, the ancient Britons, and the local mulberry trees which were the source for mulberry trees planted in Virginia. He keeps asking Kent to meet him again “the next fine day.” Later he invites Kent and Maidey to share Christmas dinner with him. After the first of the year, John leaves to follow the herons to Africa but promises to return. Maidey receives a mysterious letter from him and begins talking about quitting her job and moving away from Chilham. Following that she becomes very ill. Why did Maidey react to the letter in the way she did? What will happen to her and Kent? And when the herons return, will they bring good fortune or bad?

We dearly love the books of Elizabeth Yates (December 6, 1905 – July 29, 2001). We have read her 1951 Newbery Medal winner Amos Fortune, Free Man, along with Sarah Whitcher’s Story, Patterns on the Wall (or The Journeyman), and Hue and Cry. I also want to read her Mountain Born, Carolina’s Courage, and With Pipe, Paddle, and Song. I recall seeing an interview with her prior to her death, I think in Homeschooling Today magazine; I believe that her daughter homeschooled her children. Besides the fact that The Next Fine Day is a wonderful story that is told remarkably well, I liked the fact that the Conners are said to attend church services. Also, John Riven reminds Kent that “The heron is part of an ancient pattern given us by the Creator” and that “God fitted them into nature’s plan and linked them with the orderly procedure.”

[Inspiration Station · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a perfect read for February as the local legend was that the arrival of the herons to this English town around Valentine's Day meant all would be well for another year. A sweet story of hard work, forgiveness, the beauty of nature, friendship, love lost and found, and a feeling of finally belonging.

[Mercyfaith · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books ever! It is a perfect autumn read. Includes strong, clear themes but still beautifully subtle storytelling and characterization.