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Someday
A little girl imagines her life the way she would like it to be.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1965
About the author
Charlotte Zolotow
101 books80 followersCharlotte Zolotow was a distinguished American writer, editor, and publisher who made a lasting mark on children's literature. Over her career, she authored around 70 picture book texts and edited works by prominent writers including Paul Zindel, Robert Lipsyte, and Francesca Lia Block. Born in Norfolk, Virginia, she studied writing at the University of Wisconsin Madison and later joined Harper & Bros in New York, where she worked her way up from secretary to publisher. Her own books were published by over 20 houses, and she became known for her poetic and emotionally insightful texts. Zolotow’s most celebrated works include When the Wind Stops, William’s Doll, and River Winding. Her story "Enemies" was featured in The Big Book for Peace alongside other notable authors. She lived for many years in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. Her legacy endures not only through her own writing but also through the Charlotte Zolotow Award, established in 1998 to honor outstanding picture book texts. Her contributions helped shape modern children's literature with sensitivity, elegance, and enduring relevance.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 7, 2013
Today I got all the Charlotte Zolotow books from my school library. This was the best one. It's so sweet. And Arnold Lobel's illustrations are lovely. I'm going to have my class make a class book in this style.
Out of print! $35 on Amazon. Hmmm....
Out of print! $35 on Amazon. Hmmm....
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June 17, 2020 "Someday" is a beautiful little book about a girl and her dreams. It was written by Charlotte Zolotow and exquisitely illustrated by my beloved Arnold Lobel (the creator of Frog and Toad) in 1965. The little girl of Someday is optimistic, idealistic, and full of wonderful plans for the future. Someday, she will have $100 to buy gifts for everyone she knows. Someday she will have a little bulldog who sleeps on her bed. She'll find a room in her house that no one has ever seen before . . . someday.
The little girl plays baseball and does ballet. She loves to read and can think of nothing better than a big box of books arriving at her door someday when she is bored and lonely. She plays the piano and helps her mother set the table. She has an older brother and that tricky sibling relationship that is part rivalry, part annoyance, and all love.
It is good to have hopes and dreams. It is wonderful to imagine the future, to plan ahead, to think about what makes us happy, to understand who we are and what is most important to us. At the very end of the book, after the little girl has shared all the exciting things she will do—someday, she adds, “But right now, it's dinnertime.” I love this! This little girl is very wise. She lets her imagination run free, and then she very firmly entrenches herself in the present. She is present, and she is mindful. Her longing for what will be, someday, does not prevent her from enjoying the here and now, it does not detract from her happiness or so consume her that she forgets to live the life she has now. The simple gift of a meal, hot, fresh, and waiting, prepared for her with love, is another thing to be enjoyed, to be savored. For now, it is more than good enough. The little girl is happy in her contemplation of the future, a future she is content to wait for patiently. She is not wishing away the present. What a great lesson for all of us. Waiting for “someday” can be such a trap. It can lead to unhappiness and discontent. It can make us forget or ignore all our current blessings. But it doesn't have to.
God gave us desires, aspirations, and the ability to set goals. He gave us creative minds so that we might think, and rich imaginations so that we might dream. And as we wait—for tomorrow, for next year, for God's kingdom to come, for someday, we are filled with hope and expectation, and we live, and we love.
For I have plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.
Amen.
The little girl plays baseball and does ballet. She loves to read and can think of nothing better than a big box of books arriving at her door someday when she is bored and lonely. She plays the piano and helps her mother set the table. She has an older brother and that tricky sibling relationship that is part rivalry, part annoyance, and all love.
It is good to have hopes and dreams. It is wonderful to imagine the future, to plan ahead, to think about what makes us happy, to understand who we are and what is most important to us. At the very end of the book, after the little girl has shared all the exciting things she will do—someday, she adds, “But right now, it's dinnertime.” I love this! This little girl is very wise. She lets her imagination run free, and then she very firmly entrenches herself in the present. She is present, and she is mindful. Her longing for what will be, someday, does not prevent her from enjoying the here and now, it does not detract from her happiness or so consume her that she forgets to live the life she has now. The simple gift of a meal, hot, fresh, and waiting, prepared for her with love, is another thing to be enjoyed, to be savored. For now, it is more than good enough. The little girl is happy in her contemplation of the future, a future she is content to wait for patiently. She is not wishing away the present. What a great lesson for all of us. Waiting for “someday” can be such a trap. It can lead to unhappiness and discontent. It can make us forget or ignore all our current blessings. But it doesn't have to.
God gave us desires, aspirations, and the ability to set goals. He gave us creative minds so that we might think, and rich imaginations so that we might dream. And as we wait—for tomorrow, for next year, for God's kingdom to come, for someday, we are filled with hope and expectation, and we live, and we love.
For I have plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.
Amen.
April 1, 2011
This is one of those kindergarten books that takes an adult about two and a half minutes to read. It contains mostly illustrations, with one or two sentences on each page. I used to read this book a lot, because the character in the book did what I used to do quite often: fantasize. It's all about "someday, i'll do this" and "someday, this will happen." I definitely identified with that as a kid, as I'm sure pretty much every other child would. I can read it now and remember what I used to think of this book as a kid, and I still love it. I still fantasize about what will happen "someday," and that's why I still enjoy this book.
On a side note, I also enjoy the color scheme of the illustrations, as well as the way the characters are drawn. It's a pleasant book to look at.
On a side note, I also enjoy the color scheme of the illustrations, as well as the way the characters are drawn. It's a pleasant book to look at.
February 21, 2013
Someday was such a fun book that so many young kids will be able to relate to. Ellen fantasizes of all of the things she wants to do "someday" and there are so many adorable ideas she has. Some are very realistic and some are not so much, but either way she has many dreams. Every pair of pages has the word "someday" written on it, a different font on every page which was fun to discover, and Ellen's fantasy along side of that. The book was very interesting because the author put you inside the little girl's head and you could honestly tell what was important to her at this time. I think every young student can relate to this book because they all have big dreams, and I would definitely use it in my classroom.
November 5, 2012
Even though my daughter is 10 years old, she still likes it when I read her a bedtime story once in a while. This was the one I read to her last night. She was hoping she could have it, but it is a library book.
March 29, 2015
Until moments ago, the summary for this book read "Children's book about dancing." Methinks someone (mis)judged it by its cover. In some ways it is reminiscent of those Krauss/Sendak books because the wishes expressed are very much those of children. Nice unpretentious illustrations from Lobel.
December 17, 2010
Great imagination book. Explores possibilities and future. Picture book
March 1, 2012
Very cute. Reminds me of my daughter.
December 8, 2017
A little girl is going to experience some very wonderful things...someday.
October 3, 2018
Cute story of a girl and her hopes and daydreams.
October 17, 2021
I love to read books that express the thoughts, wishes, desires of children (especially if you have children). This one is short and excellent, opening a window into the daydreams of a little girl before she gets called to dinner. Gorgeous pencil/watercolor illustrations. Could serve as a conversation starter of what wishes your own child may have...
August 27, 2019
Someday.....this little girl will have quite wonderful, and some not so spectacular but very nice, things happen. I think most of us can share at least one of her thoughts/wishes.
June 13, 2021
Cute story about a little girl's dreams.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews