Micha Archer’s spectacularly colorful collages in What’s New, Daniel? tell the story of a young boy’s day in the park. Daniel runs to meet his grandfather, who asks the boy, “What’s new?” Daniel responds literally: “Um, I don’t know yet.”
Daniel heads deeper into the park to retrieve some answers. What’s new with his favorite rock? What’s new with the redwing blackbirds, Mother Duck, Polliwog, Snake and other budding life in the lush and lively park that the boy and grandfather visit? With abundant curiosity, Daniel explores every nook and cranny of what is clearly one of his favorite places in the city. The answers Daniel receives prompt him to also consider what is new in his life. When Snake shares that it has shed its old skin, Daniel points out that he’s just lost a tooth. When Daniel learns that the polliwogs are all growing legs, Daniel enthusiastically shares, “My legs are growing too!” Archer, who clearly knows children well, then depicts Daniel showing them how strong his legs are: “Watch me run!”
Archer presents a verdant park teeming with life, a pocket in a big and bustling city. Her vivid palette showcases nearly every shade of green—the true star of this show—but also warm yellows (the flowers Butterfly lands on), rich rust colors (the leaves of the oak tree in which Squirrel builds her nest), and the gleaming blues and teals of the sky, the water and even grandfather’s sweater. As in her previous books featuring Daniel (Daniel’s Good Day and Daniel Finds a Poem), Archer achieves impressive textures and details in the illustrations, creating artwork to pore over.
What’s New, Daniel? not only captures an intergenerational bond but also celebrates the joy with which children take in the natural world. There are no screens in sight. Instead, Daniel revels in the shimmering water of the pond, the cattails sending seeds into the wind, the unfurling leaves on the fern, and the delicate wings of a butterfly, not to mention his own growing body. As Daniel puts it, with such unbridled cheer, “So many things are new!”
