CATCHING THE SUN

Dylan gets a special present for his fifth birthday. In the middle of the night, his very pregnant Mom wakes him up (while Dad is still “honk-snoring”). It’s the last day of the family’s annual summer visit to Cape Cod and Dylan and Mom walk to the beach. As they wait, the sky turns slowly from deep blue to purple to orange to pink. Dylan, whose name means “from the sea,” knows to take a quick look at the rising sun and then close his eyes. And when he catches it, his hands raise, eyes closed, in a victory pose. Later in the car, as they cross the bridge on the way home, Dylan waves goodbye to the waves and, along with Mom, closes his eyes again, catching the sun. Paratore’s slightly lyrical prose is well-matched to Catalanotto’s muted watercolor illustrations, many of which (by virtue of offbeat composition and perspective) look like paintings to frame. Warm and winning. (Picture book. 5-8)