FIREFLY LULLABY
From the Lullaby series
by Kenneth Kraegel ; illustrated by Kenneth Kraegel
Ethereal summertime celebrations are commemorated in a tale both dreamlike and seriously goofy.
On a warm night, youngsters are attentive, listening for a very particular sound that only this season can deliver: “a tiny trumpet trumpeting near and clear, / announcing good news: / The fireflies at last are here!” With wings as dissected and bifurcated as stained-glass windows, they arrive, creating patterns in the sky, “like freeform, airborne, high-flying lace.” After competing in races, taking part in feasts, and boasting and bragging, the tiny insects listen to a single young firefly’s song, then head off to bed, “where dreams of delight / will fill each head.” Presented in an array of vibrant yellows, oranges, and umber reds, these dozy-eyed lightning bugs all exhibit individual personalities. Meanwhile, the surreal landscape envelops readers, harkening back to a time and place that might live in young minds forevermore. The result is a salute not simply to summer itself, but also to communal celebrations. Kraegel’s ink and watercolor illustrations carry all the silliness and humor one might hope to find on a warm July night without skidding into outright chaos and calamity.
A glorious greeting of warm weather delights, all thanks to these nutty little insects in the sky.
(Picture book. 3-6)