Opening scenes of this animated version of Dave Eggers’ picture book, illustrated by Caldecott honoree Lane Smith, show a young boy being tucked into bed by a woman (we don’t see her face) who is most likely his mother.
She begins by telling the curly-headed boy what he may encounter the next day. “Tomorrow most likely/ there will be a sky/ and chances are it will be blue. Tomorrow most likely/ there will be a squirrel/ and chances are his name is Stu.”
As the story goes on, the rhyming prose, smoothly read by Channie Waites, continues to reveal what tomorrow might bring as we watch the youngster imagining what he may see by walking around town amongst various creatures and objects, both realistic and fanciful, described in the text, including skyscrapers, whale, mythical beast, a green bug with bulging eyes, and stone striped like a spider web (or maybe a brain).
Smith’s multimedia illustrations done with pen and ink, oil paint, and paper collage are brightly animated. In one frame, musical notes float across the screen and the story ends with the reassuring words that it is a great day because the youngster is in it and Stu the squirrel is ok, evidenced in closing frames with Stu happily chomping on a nut.
The repetitive refrains of “tomorrow most likely” and the rhyming text accented by amazing illustrations and bouncy background music should appeal to young viewers who will find reassurance in the optimistic message of what tomorrow may bring. Recommended. Aud: K.