So much can happen in a day! Especially for the residents of a busy apartment block and the surrounding community.

In her picture book All in a Day, renowned Japanese paper-cut artist Chihiro Takeuchi invites readers to explore the concept of time in the beautiful neighborhood she has created. The focal point of the story–and illustrations–is an elegant three-story apartment building that is home to a young family (Mom, Dad and three young children) as well as Grandma, a clockmaker, barber, baker, musician and artist. On the left page, the front of the apartment is cut away enabling readers to see what’s going on inside at each hour of the day; on the right, large vignettes zoom in on the action in certain locations. The time is marked throughout on the large analog clock at the top of the building.

And what a lot there is to see! The baker rolling out dough; the young family getting ready for work and school; the barber lathering up a client; Grandma doing her yoga. The story also extends beyond the apartment building to other locations in the street, including a bookshop and florist. And there’s plenty happening on the sidewalk too: shoppers, a pizza delivery man, an ice cream truck. Yes, this is one of those books that you can dip into time and again, and always find something new. I particularly like the seek-and-find prompts on each spread. The ever-changing chameleon is an absolute winner, followed closely by the changes in wind direction!

As you might expect, the papercut illustrations are magnificent: colorful, intricate yet simple, and brimming with life and movement. The text is basic, with only a few short sentences on each spread. All in a Day is the perfect book for young children, with individual stories to follow through the day, observations to make, objects to locate–and, of course, it’s a fabulous introduction to the concept of (telling the) time.

If you like the look of All in a Day, stay tuned for my upcoming review of Chihiro Takeuchi’s book All in a Year, which was released by Berbay Publishing last year.

All in a Day
Written and illustrated by Chihiro Takeuchi
Berbay Publishing, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-922610-53-9

Reviews: Kirkus, Reading Time, Youth Services Book Review

You can buy a copy of All in a Day here or find it in a library, here.*

*Book purchases made via our affiliate link may earn GLLI a small commission at no cost to you.

Laura Taylor is the founder of world children’s literature blog Planet Picture Book. She is a small business copywriter, NAATI-certified translator of French into English and member of AUSIT. When she is not writing, she is reading and spending time with her two young children. She occasionally tweets @plapibo and posts at www.planetpicturebook.com