TOMORROW'S LILY

The fleeting loveliness of the lily is celebrated in this paean to impermanence.

“Pretty lily. You bloom for just one day.” An exceedingly simple text introduces young readers to a flower with an all too brief life. Like an herbaceous mayfly, Raschka’s daylilies have only 24 hours to present their blooms. “Monday’s lily blooms for the baby”; the accompanying image depicts a little rabbit huddled beneath the flower. “Tuesday’s lily blooms for the cat”; a feline cuddles up to a splendid pink blossom. Each day reveals a new lily and whom it blooms for, whether it’s a mother, friends, or no one at all. As Raschka is quick to note, “We’re all like lilies. We bloom for others.” While the sunny watercolor art may be full of adorable duckies and kitties, a serious undercurrent is at work. To underline this idea, Raschka carefully includes images of the wilted blossoms that have already had their day in the sun. The rhymes may take some practice to read aloud properly, but it’s easy to appreciate the rare book where life’s impermanence is presented alongside a lesson on something as basic as the days of the week.

Brave to its core, this is a book unafraid to ask for whom will you bloom during your one wild and precious life.