What a Lucky Day!

September 1, 2020
A picture-book debut that looks at common superstitions and misconceptions. A stork is going fishing. "If I'm lucky, I'll have fish for dinner," the long-legged bird says hopefully. But suddenly, a black cat crosses the path. "OH NO! BAD LUCK!... / I won't catch anything today!" The black cat is also going fishing. "If I'm lucky, I'll have fish for dinner," the feline purrs. But: "OH NO! A RACCOON! That masked bandit will steal my fish!" Coincidentally, the raccoon is also going fishing. The refrain repeats. Four animals, all hoping for a fish dinner, suddenly crowd the dock, each looking warily at the others, afraid of all the mistaken beliefs they've previously heard. The raccoon fears catching warts from the frog; the frog hopes the stork doesn't deliver any inconvenient babies. Each eyes the others suspiciously. But what luck! They each catch a fish! Each superstition or myth is unraveled as the animals apologize to one another. Stork is particularly perplexed: "Wait. What? Why would I deliver babies?" Awan's illustrations use contrast effectively; the bold, simply shaped animals stand out starkly against the light sky. The text also pops in dark, blocky typeface. Appended backmatter further explains the origins of the misconceptions associated with each animal. The question of the fishes' luck goes unaddressed, however. A clever way to approach a conversation on assumptions. (Picture book. 4-7)

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September 28, 2020
Four animal anglers head individually to a waterside dock, each hoping to catch some dinner. Based solely on superstition or misinformation, each is certain that other animals they run into will stymie their efforts at fishing. A stork, seeing a black cat, worries that bad luck will follow; the cat, running into a raccoon, is sure that the “masked bandit” will steal the fish. The raccoon believes that a frog will give him warts, and the frog hopes that the stork won’t crowd the pier with infants. When fortune favors everyone with a fish—“WHAT A LUCKY DAY!” —the misconceptions are aired and corrected (“Warts are caused by a virus. Not by me,” says the frog testily), prompting sheepish apologies and a communal fish feast. Cartoonist Awan makes an A+
picture book debut that warns against assumptions—his boldly graphic pictures combine the pop and verve of classic WPA posters with a contemporary expression and top-notch comic timing. Ages 3–5. Agent: Erica Rand Silverman, Stimola Literary Studio.