The boy wakes up first in his home and is a ball of energy. He gets to the table and eats while his parents are still half-asleep. The boy doesn't just open the door, he leaps out the door. He does not just walk to school but jumps over a garbage can.

This boy expresses his emotions as freely as his physical zest: he is the first to cry, the first to laugh, the first to argue, the first to make up. In addition, the little boy doesn't miss a thing. At home, he is the first in the bathtub, the first to finish dinner, and the first to bed.

Taro Gomi has created more than 350 books for readers of all ages. This one vividly shows how physical energy and emotional enthusiasm are ingredients of a great day in the life of a child, or for that matter, any human being.

In our Alphabet of Spiritual Literacy, Z stands for zeal, the spiritual practice of being aroused by life. Those who walk this path are energized by life and open to whatever comes their way.