A vividly illustrated rhyming book about a girl who keeps a journal during the year her Dad is overseas on a tour of duty in the military. Of course, only a few of the 365 days apart can be revealed, such as birthday parties, horseback rides, trips to the zoo and the like, however, it's a lightly told tale with a profound message: keeping your memories so you can share them when your loved-one gets home.

 While the subject and impact of an examined life is a tad heavy for kids, it's not for the adults who care for them. When this Mom gives her daughter a spiral notebook and a box of colored pens and tells her to write about what all she does while her Dad's away, she has set her child on the path to thinking about her life and her family.

 The genders could just as easily have been switched: a son with his Mom away on duty, and perhaps that will be this author's next book. A splendid idea and well done!

Review by D. H. Brown, MWSA Reviewer (April 2009)