The Sun Never Hurries

What a lovely introduction for young children to the idea of “slow living”!

The book begins with a bit of a riddle.

Charlie’s grandpa, Papa Jo, has a strange object, an hourglass.

“What is it for?” Charlie asks.

“The hourglass reminds me to take my time to get things done.

Just like every grain of sand, every moment of your day is precious,” Papa Jo replies.

Charlie is puzzled. But Papa Jo only smiles and says, “It’s lunchtime, Charlie. Are you hungry?”

“Yes, Papa!” Charlie exclaims, “Can we go to a restaurant?”

Instead of having an outing to a restaurant, grandfather and granddaughter take time to slowly assemble and prepare the ingredients for a fragrant batch of vegetable soup. Then, rather than driving into the village, Papa Jo proposes a journey on foot through a wildflower meadow which ends at a friend’s ice cream shop. Charlie comments that the frozen treat “tastes like happiness”.

The animal duo enjoys more quiet time, rowing across the water to where the eager granddaughter can frolic on the shore, looking at frogs and picking up interesting stones. The revelation of a swing that Papa Jo has built proves to be an extra delightful surprise.

Back home at the end of this satisfying day, Charlie turns the hourglass over and talks to grandpa about the time they have spent together. The final page is an evening benediction.

“Did we take our time doing things today, Papa Jo?” Charlie asks.

“We did, but the day is not over yet. Come watch the sunset,” Papa Jo replies.

“Looks like the sun’s not moving, Papa.”

Papa Jo smiles. “The sun is never in a hurry.”

The length and pace of the text in this gentle story are just right. Relating Charlie and Papa Jo’s activities in the present tense reinforces the theme, bringing the reader into the midst of this small but interesting world. Charlie is learning that every minute of a day can be considered, examined and savoured.

Beautiful sun-washed illustrations fill the pages of the oversized book. The softly-rounded greyish shapes of the figures indicate that, although they are garbed in human attire, grandpa in a knitted vest and bowtie, Charlie with a polka-dotted tam and oversize sweater, Papa Jo and Charlie might be bears. The characters enjoy moments of both tenderness – grandpa carefully watching as his little granddaughter skips across a footbridge - and humour, such as the image of Charlie buried in a mountain of carrot peels during the soup-making episode. Soft edges and misty backgrounds enhance the mood, and the whole will make readers consciously stop and take a breath.

The book was originally published in 2022 by Dominique et Cie in the French language as Le Sablier de Papijo.

The Sun Never Hurries would be a standout choice for a quiet kindergarten story time, or as a cozy bedtime read-aloud.