Nice Work

Nicholas Day ∙ Illustrated by Hala Tahboub

Hardcover

Published on May 12, 2026 | 40 Pages

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Ebook

Published on May 12, 2026 | 40 Pages

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Grades Preschool – 3
Ages 4–8

A wise and tender story about the patience needed for a tree–and a friendship–to grow, from award-winning author Nicholas Day.

All he wanted was a peach tree: Because when you eat a ripe peach, you get sticky and sweet, and if you don’t wash up, you stay sticky and sweet. And you feel like summer.

But when the tree arrives in the spring, it isn’t a tree. It’s a stick. Nice work, the boy tells his parents. You bought a stick. Even his friend Maya agrees. It’s a stick.

Though what happens when you plant a stick, and it grows leaves? What happens when your best friend moves away? What happens when everything that was once clear starts to change?
Here is a story of growth, the enduring power of friendship, the persistence of rabbits—and a single, glorious, impossible peach.

★ "It’s a gently philosophical gem that trusts young readers to sit with life’s slower rhythms." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ "A real peach of a picture book about tending to trees, friendships and personal growth." —Booklist, starred review

"The child’s different friendships and the tree’s slow maturation yield thematic treasures about growth, change, and aging, anchored by the titular refrain, by turns reflecting sarcasm and genuine pride....Wisdom in a small package." —Kirkus Reviews

"This is as sweet and wholesome as its fruity inspiration....Pair with Fogliano’s And Then It’s Spring for a reminder of the patience needed for growth, be it in plants or humans." —The Bulletin

"A quiet story that provides openings for discussions about growth, patience, and accommodating change." —School Library Journal

ISBN 9780593806296 (Hardcover)
Published on May 12, 2026
Published by Random House Studio
Pages 40
Dimensions 8-1/2 x 11
Age Range 4-8 years
Grade Preschool - 3

ISBN 9780593806302 (Hardcover Library Binding)
Published on May 12, 2026
Published by Random House Studio
Pages 40
Dimensions 8-1/2 x 11
Age Range 4-8 years
Grade Preschool - 3

ISBN 9780593806319 (Ebook)
Published on May 12, 2026
Published by Random House Studio
Pages 40
Age Range 4-8 years
Grade Preschool - 3

Nicholas Day

NICHOLAS DAY is the author of The Mona Lisa Vanishes, winner of the Robert F. Sibert Award and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for nonfiction. His debut picture book, Nothing: John Cage and 4’33”, was illustrated by Chris Raschka. He has written regularly for Slate; his work has also appeared in the Atlantic, the New York Times, and the Washington Post, among other publications. He lives in Western Massachusetts with his family.