The Days Are Long, the Years Are Short

by Aya Morton

Overview

A tender portrait of family that celebrates both the beauty and the chaos of life with young children—perfect for Mother’s Day and as a new-baby gift year-round!

The days are long, but when I'm with you, I blink and the years fly by.

From sunrise to nightfall, this family is on the go. And for every early wake-up, busy breakfast, missing shoe, and rush to get out the door, there is also a sweet smile, a “Mama, look!” and a snuggle before bedtime to make all of the day’s moments feel precious. The perfect gift for any caregiver, The Days Are Long, the Years Are Short is a day-in-the-life story of a family enjoying every minute of their messy, wonderful time together.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316420457
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	03/26/2024
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	352,620
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 11.55(h) x (d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Aya Morton's debut author-illustrator project is The Days Are Long, the Years Are Short, and she is also the illustrator of The Great Gatsby: The Graphic Novel. Aya grew up in rural Oregon, where she discovered her passion for stories and drawing; studied at Brown University, where she majored in religious studies; and traveled extensively in Southeast Asia. She then received an illustration degree from the ArtCenter College of Design and has worked as a freelance artist in London, England, and Portland, Oregon, where she now lives with her family. She invites you to visit her online at ayamorton.com or on Instagram @ayamorton.art.

Editorial Reviews

01/08/2024

Polished woodcuts celebrate childhood from the parents’ point of view as Morton (The Great Gatsby: The Graphic Novel) presents picturesque snapshots of a day in the life of a pale-skinned family and their big yellow dog. Shot throughout with a sense of sweet chaos, life in this household of two parents and two children is shown as safe, happy, and reassuringly slow-paced (“Bananas and eggs and big cups of coffee—somehow we all get fed”). Punctuating various activities, a repeating, adult-feeling voice conveys the way time can telescope: “The days are long,/ but when I’m with you,/ I blink and the years fly by.” Wrestling a toddler into a t-shirt (“Stuck!”), morning work in the garden (“We water the plants, the mud, and the road”), and an afternoon at the beach (“Keep digging!”) are followed by a quiet trip home with sacked-out children, dinner eaten as one child leaps from a sofa, and a bedtime involving plenty of picture books (“Another day older, we made it at last”). The simple scenes paint a warm portrait of parents who treasure moments that disappear all too quickly. Ages 4–8. Agent: Alyssa Eisner Henkin, Birch Path Literary. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"The simple scenes paint a warm portrait of parents who treasure moments that disappear all too quickly."—Publishers Weekly

"Morton creates a paean for parents just trying to cut through the chaos of their everyday lives and remember to enjoy what they have."—Kirkus

From the Publisher

06/28/2024

PreS-Gr 3—Morton makes her picture book debut with this visual ode to traditional middle-class North American family summer vacation at a country house. The primary-hued palette of woodblock illustrations are thoughtfully composed and filled with sumptuous shadows, lovely patterns, and brushstrokes that succeed in conveying movement. The accompanying text, however, and the narrative it builds, reads as a comforting, grounding text for an adult caregiver, who could do with some self-compassion while expressing "I love you with all my heart" to the child listener. Paradoxes of the vacation-work shouldered by caregivers while "at play" are squarely aimed at empathizing with the adult laborer, particularly the refrain which reappears every few pages: "The days are long,/ but when I'm with you,/ I blink and the years fly by." The long-view perspective and the adult refrain work against the dynamic, joyful scenes of work and play, and may not be appreciated by the young reader/listener who happens upon this text. VERDICT Well-illustrated self-care for caregivers, not recommended for school libraries.—Jessica Fenster-Sparber

School Library Journal

2023-12-16
A picture book inspired by a contemporary parental mantra.

Two infinitely patient parents awaken to the rambunctious antics of their preschooler and toddler. “The days are long, / but when I’m with you, / I blink and the years fly by.” This phrase, repeated six times over the course of the book, is accompanied by beautiful woodblock print art layered in digital color. These illustrations depict the family spending a single day with their little ones, inside and out. They manage to pack in a beach trip, meals, bathtime, gardening, and more. Full of high spirits, the kids keep their parents on their toes, and no matter the mess or shenanigans, rarely do the adults show any emotion beyond a benevolent smile (Mom’s reaction to getting sprayed by the cold water of a garden hose being a rare exception). Morton creates a paean for parents just trying to cut through the chaos of their everyday lives and remember to enjoy what they have. In the end, though kids will certainly enjoy the children’s capers, the intended audience is undeniably their caregivers, who will more readily take to this somewhat heavy-handed musing on the fleeting nature of time. Characters are light-skinned.

The book is short but the message long-winded in this aspirational tale best suited for parents rather than children. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews