Blue Sky Morning

Per a note, Kim’s memories of a former Seoul neighborhood propel this meditative story, which describes a child’s morning routine. Awakening to a “beautiful, blue sky morning,” the East Asian protagonist, Eunny, takes pleasure in the mundane, with second-person narration leaning toward mindful-feeling pauses: “It’s bright when you step outside,/ and the air feels cool and fresh./ Take a deep breath.” Though other children hurry by, the subject stops to appreciate the sky—“so big and so blue”—then proceeds to express gratitude for conversation with Mama, changing foliage, and a warm greeting from a school friend. Crisp watercolor, pencil, and colored pencil illustrations soothe via pale coloring and careful lines, combining with deliberate text to create a gentle portrait of the beauty found amid a day’s beginnings. Ages 4–7. (May)