• Age: 3 to 5
• Grade: p to k
• Reading age: 3 to 5

In poetry that winds and wends like a creek through a farmer's field, we journey through one lovely day in Buttercup's life. Whether she is ruminating on the mud beneath her feet or the moon and the stars in the blue-black sky, she draws us deep into her rich and wonderful world.

After winning a prize for her story “Petulia, the Petunia,” in grade three, Carolyn Beck knew she wanted to write, but it wasn’t until she grew up and had a family of her own that she truly pursued this career path. Previous titles include The Waiting Dog, Buttercup’s Lovely Day, Richard Was a Picker, and Wellington’s Rainy Day. She lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Carolyn Beck's profile page

 

Andrea Lynn Beck
a publié plus de dix-huit albums illustrés, y compris le livre à succèsBonne nuit, Canada! Elle est la créatrice de la série Elliot Moose et du livre Pierre Le Poof. Ce dernier a été
finaliste pour le prix Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon en 2012. L'album Bonjour, Canada! a également été finaliste pour le même prix, en
2013. Andrea est née à Montréal et habite maintenant à Unionville, en
Ontario.

 

ANDREA LYNN BECK has published eighteen picture books, including the bestselling Goodnight, Canada and Good Morning, Canada. She is the creator of the Elliot Moose series and the Pierre le Poof series. Andrea was shortlisted for an Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Award for Illustration in 2012 for Pierre le Poof, and in 2013 for Goodnight, Canada. She has also illustrated Buttercup's Lovely Day, which was nominated for a Blue Spruce Award in 2009. Visit her online at www.andreabeck.com.

Andrea Beck's profile page

• Commended, CCBC Best Books
• Short-listed, Blue Spruce nominee
• Commended, OLA Best Bets
• Commended, Resource Links "The Year's Best"

"The small details in each illustration truly bring this book to life....A wonderful book to teach children how to play with language! Bravo sisters Beck!"

Resource Links

"Buttercup's overflowing optimism is uplifting and life-affirming...This picturebook is perfect for a lovely day or a lousy one - reminding us, like Buttercup, to sing thankful praises for life's simple pleasures."

Canadian Children's Book News

"Highly recommended."

CM Magazine

"There's much... for small fry to roll around their tongues as beautiful black-and-white Buttercup meanders through her lovely day."

The Globe and Mail

"This is a delightful marriage of imagination and reality, of lyrical languorous text and gentle realistic illustration - a pleasure."

Deakin Newsletter

"A read-aloud gem...A clever, joyful, playful celebration of creative language, sound, rhyme, rhythm, and repetition."

Quill & Quire

"Beck shows her mastery of lovely language as she shares with her readers Buttercup's discoveries and delights."

The Brandon Sun

"The story's tone is peaceful and contented."

The Horn Book Guide

"The iambic rhythm makes the selections easy to read and recite aloud, and the poems would be wonderful additions to storytimes about cows, farms or even during Valentine’s Day programs. Buttercup provides the answers to life’s eternal questions—she loves the simple things and shares this joy with readers."

School Library Journal

Buttercup’s Lovely Day

In this poetic picture book a verbose cow describes all the things she loves about her life, which is everything! She begins with an ode to the day, then to the clouds which “whiff and waft/ and puff around/ dot the sky/ and spot the ground/ but never ever make a sound,” then her tongue, the stream, and, ultimately, her barn and sleep.

True to her name, Buttercup is a sunny cow, conveying the love for the simple things of life, such as nature, friendship, and, of course, chewing her cud. Buttercup’s overflowing optimism is uplifting and life-affirming. This is Carolyn Beck’s second book with her sister Andrea Beck, following The Waiting Dog in 2003, and her alliterative, rhythmic verse is perfect for reading aloud.

Andrea Beck illustrated the well-known Elliot Moose series. Her talent for painting silly, sweet animals is apparent in this book of farmyard folk. All of the 18 twopage spreads are filled with Buttercup’s friends and other animals from the woods nearby: tiny grey mice, curious rabbits, and swooping owls. The long spread panels move from light, bright colours to darker tones, as Buttercup moves through her day and into the night.

This picture book is perfect for a lovely day or a lousy one – reminding us, like Buttercup, to sing thankful praises for life’s simple pleasures.

Buttercup’s Lovely Day

In poetry that winds and wends like a creek through a farmer’s field, readers journey through one lovely day in Buttercup’s life. As the cow dreams about what she loves, she draws us deep into her rich and wonderful world. This tale features acrylic paintings done on watercolour paper.