Synopsis
BABY IS CRYING and Crow and Goose and Owl and Swan all think they have the perfect antidote - "I'll take baby flying, that will stop the crying." And as baby floats on wings of love above fields and oceans, he is soothed. . . until each bird in turn crows just a bit too loudly and proudly at his own success and wakes that baby up again. Finally, little Nightingale, who has been struggling to be heard, gets her chance to try a lullaby. Our tearful baby is now dreamimg sweet dreams. And soon the birds are sleeping too - and so will you.
This book has perfect pacing, exactly mirroring the rhythm of a child struggling to fall asleep and finally settling down. And Dan Yaccarino's dreamy, etherial artwork is the perfect match for Dee Lillegard's sweet song of a story.
Children's Literature
A crying baby disturbs the birds on the farm and each in turn attempts to soothe the baby to sleep. A crow takes a baby on a flight over the fields, and the baby falls asleep only to be awakened when the crow sings its raucous cry. Each in turn, a goose, an owl, and a swan ease the baby into sleep only to attempt to sing to the baby and wake it each time. Finally, a nightingale, who has tried from the beginning, to sing the child to sleep is allowed to sing a simple, quiet lullaby that, with the aid of a gently rocked cradle, puts the baby to sleep. Simple repetitive statements create a soothing text and slightly abstract and shadowed colored illustrations are warm enough to hold a child s attention but not too engaging to keep a child awake. This simple text is very suitable as a bedtime story. Reviewer: Danielle Williams