Catching the Sun by Coleen Murtagh Paratore, Peter Catalanotto (Illustrator)

Children's Literature

Dylan and his mother awake to catch the sun on Dylan's fifth birthday. They are spending their final day on Cape Cod, a last attempt to catch the sun rising. Dylan knows that next summer he cannot come and sit with Mom by the ocean. A new baby is coming. Dylan and his mother see the sea gulls and listen to the waves as the sky turns orange. Dylan struggles to accept the new baby that will take away his mother's attention. He feels sad when he thinks he has lost the sun's light. His mother assures him that he cannot lose it because he can close his eyes and remember. She tells him, "It's all still there." Slowly, Dylan realizes that things are changing but that he can always close his eyes and remember. The words of this peaceful, warm picture book complement the watercolor illustrations of the beach, Dylan, his mother, and the sun. With the evocative descriptions of the waves' sounds, it would make a wonderful read-aloud for older preschool or kindergarten children. The story captures the joy and durability of spending even a brief time just with mom. Reviewer: Elizabeth Fronk

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2- On Dylan's fifth birthday, he and his mother celebrate an annual ritual on Cape Cod. Yawning, they steal out to the beach while a few stars are still twinkling and wait at the shore for a swift, precious peek at sunrise-"A flash. A wink. A baby sun." This is a quiet story, peacefully illustrated with Catalanotto's watercolors (always tranquil, sometimes surprising in perspective and beauty). Paratore's language is likewise soft and startling: "Dad is still honk-snoring away. Huck's in dog dreamland." But the shadow muting this year's sunrise is The Baby. "Now I'm big, and soon Mom will have a new baby....it won't ever be the same." Dylan's thoughts, and his mother's sensitive responses, are portrayed gently without minimizing their power. The chiaroscuro of Dylan's emotions is echoed in the muted violet and gold of early morning at the shore.-Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY

Kirkus Reviews

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)

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