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OCEAN LULLABY

A delightful winding-down story after a busy day at the beach—or anywhere.

The newest collaboration by sisters Kvasnosky and McGee takes readers on an evening stroll to the beach and a dive underwater in the nighttime ocean.

The sun sinks toward a distant horizon while a racially diverse group of family and friends sings along at a seaside picnic. Young and old enjoy the music, and a child sits and listens in mother’s lap “as they rock to ocean sounds.” The sun begins to set, and the mother’s words echo the lapping of the waves as she sings a lullaby. “Shhh hush. Shhh hush. We can sing along.” Below the waves and under the darkening water, Kvasnosky’s lulling verse continues, “the big whales doze,” and “turtles float and shut their eyes.” Floating peacefully, “dolphins drift and mantas glide / through the rocking, rolling tide.” Twilight turns tide pools golden. The encroaching nightfall slows everything down, and baby falls asleep on mother’s shoulder. “You, my sweet, my sleepy child, / rest here in my arms awhile. / As the new moon rides the sky, / dream the ocean lullaby.” With the crescent moon (not, some will quibble, a new moon) and stars overhead and the waves kissing the beach, she sings to her child. (Both present White.) Soft and rich pastels are emboldened with black outlines, creating a pleasing graphic background for this peaceful, sleepytime poem. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-19-inch double-page spreads viewed at 42.1% of actual size.)

A delightful winding-down story after a busy day at the beach—or anywhere. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: May 4, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-593-11801-6

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Philomel

Review Posted Online: March 1, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021

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GOOD NIGHT, LITTLE BLUE TRUCK

A sweet reminder that it’s easy to weather a storm with the company and kindness of friends.

Is it a stormy-night scare or a bedtime book? Both!

Little Blue Truck and his good friend Toad are heading home when a storm lets loose. Before long, their familiar, now very nervous barnyard friends (Goat, Hen, Goose, Cow, Duck, and Pig) squeeze into the garage. Blue explains that “clouds bump and tumble in the sky, / but here inside we’re warm and dry, / and all the thirsty plants below / will get a drink to help them grow!” The friends begin to relax. “Duck said, loud as he could quack it, / ‘THUNDER’S JUST A NOISY RACKET!’ ” In the quiet after the storm, the barnyard friends are sleepy, but the garage is not their home. “ ‘Beep!’ said Blue. ‘Just hop inside. / All aboard for the bedtime ride!’ ” Young readers will settle down for their own bedtimes as Blue and Toad drop each friend at home and bid them a good night before returning to the garage and their own beds. “Blue gave one small sleepy ‘Beep.’ / Then Little Blue Truck fell fast asleep.” Joseph’s rich nighttime-blue illustrations (done “in the style of [series co-creator] Jill McElmurry”) highlight the power of the storm and capture the still serenity that follows. Little Blue Truck has been chugging along since 2008, but there seems to be plenty of gas left in the tank.

A sweet reminder that it’s easy to weather a storm with the company and kindness of friends. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-328-85213-7

Page Count: 32

Publisher: HMH Books

Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019

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I'LL LOVE YOU FOREVER

Parent-child love and affection, appealingly presented, with the added attraction of the seasonal content and lack of gender...

A polar-bear parent speaks poetically of love for a child.

A genderless adult and cub travel through the landscapes of an arctic year. Each of the softly rendered double-page paintings has a very different feel and color palette as the pair go through the seasons, walking through wintry ice and snow and green summer meadows, cavorting in the blue ocean, watching whales, and playing beside musk oxen. The rhymes of the four-line stanzas are not forced, as is the case too often in picture books of this type: “When cold, winter winds / blow the leaves far and wide, / You’ll cross the great icebergs / with me by your side.” On a dark, snowy night, the loving parent says: “But for now, cuddle close / while the stars softly shine. // I’ll always be yours, / and you’ll always be mine.” As the last illustration shows the pair curled up for sleep, young listeners will be lulled to sweet dreams by the calm tenor of the pictures and the words. While far from original, this timeless theme is always in demand, and the combination of delightful illustrations and poetry that scans well make this a good choice for early-childhood classrooms, public libraries, and one-on-one home read-alouds.

Parent-child love and affection, appealingly presented, with the added attraction of the seasonal content and lack of gender restrictions. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017

ISBN: 978-1-68010-070-9

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Tiger Tales

Review Posted Online: July 1, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017

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