The Wonderful Happens

                                               by Cynthia Rylant and illustrated by Coco Dowley
                                           New York:  Simon & Schuster Books for Young Reader (2000)

The Wonderful Happens describes the beauty of the little things in life in a simple, formulaic picturebook for young children.  The repetition of certain key phrases helps children follow along with the reader, and the use of common, everyday objects makes the subject relatable.  The illustrations are drawn in a familiar style, depicting recognizable objects and settings in comforting colors, with each page having a single theme or focus.

The text introduces natural processes in an easy-to-understand way.  For instance, the process of making bread is simplified to:  "The Earth grew wheat, the wheat made flour, and the wonderful happened:  bread."  Such descriptions are a good way to introduce the idea of processes to young children, who are beginning to ask many questions about the things they see around them on a daily basis.

Not only does the text present common vocabulary (bread, bird, rose), encouraging the beginning stages of literacy, but it also brings the focus back to the child for the conclusion by adding "you" to the list of wonderful things.  This reinforces in a simple way the idea that each child is unique, special, and loved.

It is never too early to start seeing beauty and wonder in the even the smallest details, and Rylant's text seems like a good place to start.