Product Description

Bedtime is a special ritual for parents and children. Lullabies often play an important role. This best-selling version of the beloved lullaby Hush Little Baby is now available in a sturdy board book making it perfect for sharing with the youngest children.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #123069 in Books
• Published on: 2002-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Board book
• 26 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780811822909
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Amazon.com Review
"Hush little baby, don't say a word,
Mama's going to show you a hummingbird.
If that hummingbird should fly,
Mama's going to show you the evening sky."

Sylvia Long's award-winning (Child Magazine's Best of 1997) ode to mother-child love takes a favorite lullaby and makes it--is it possible?--even better. Troubled by the buy-buy-buy mentality of the original ("Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird/diamond ring/a dog named Rover..."), Long adapts the song to her--and our--liking. Mama now shows her baby the comforting wonders of the world: crickets, shooting stars, warm bedspreads. Long's gorgeous ink and watercolor paintings are reminiscent of Clement Hurd's illustrations in Margaret Wise Brown's Goodnight Moon. And now, with this gift set, fans of this sweet lullaby can have a "little baby" bunny all their own, along with a small board book edition of their sing-along favorite! The unbelievably soft plush rabbit rattle is curved into a shape and size just right for tiny hands. Wrap the cuddly pajama-clad bunny around a crib railing so your baby can always reach it. What a perfect gift for the new mother or mother-to-be! (Baby to preschool) --Emilie Coulter

From Booklist
Ages 3-6 "Bothered" by what she sees as the materialism of the original song, Long has reworked a familiar lullabye: "Hush Little Baby, don't say a word, / Mama's going to show you a hummingbird." While her retelling stands on its own, it's the artwork that shines here. Long's beautiful ink-and-watercolor paintings are richly colored and realistically detailed. The right page of the spread focuses on the tender and loving relationship between Mama and her baby bunny. Surrounded by borders that resemble quilt stitches, the left side of the spread features a smaller picture that either highlights denizens of the natural world--a cricket, a lightning bug, a harvest moon--or the objects found in the child's cozy bedroom. A lovely book. Julie Corsaro

From Kirkus Reviews
In a variant of the traditional lullaby, a mother rabbit draws on the natural world at the close of day for her young child's bedtime ritual. Hummingbird, cricket, shooting star, and lightning bug are featured in the evening observances a mother makes for her child as shadows fall. After dark, the scenes move indoors, and the child's bedtime is prefaced with a story, a warm quilt, a teddy bear, and a song: ``When that star has dropped from view, Mama's going to read a book with you. When that story has been read, Mama's going to bring you a warm bedspread.'' The artwork is cloned from Long's illustrations for Jonathan London's Liplap's Wish (1994, not reviewed), with her trademark rabbits frequently depicted in warm embraces. Star-studded pajamas, designer carrot curtains, and a patchwork quilt showing each story element make for a contemporary version of the ``great green room'' most children already know so well. A caveat: Squeamish children will not be soothed by the realistic depictions of the cricket and lightning bug mentioned in the song. The musical score is not included, but adults and listeners won't be able to refrain from humming or singing along. (Picture book. 1-5) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Customer Reviews

This bedtime story book holds Mom's attention too!
This is one of our top ten bedtime stories for our preschool children. It is the discovery of beauty and love as a mother guides her child on a bedtime trek from the porch, to the rocking chair, to the bed. It is a warm and sensitive version of the "mockingbird" Hush Little Baby lullaby. My children don't ask me for a mockingbird, a diamond ring, looking glass, etc. and so that original version seems outdated. Hooray for Sylvia Long...this book reflects a new time and a new generation of parents. She has done an excellent job in creating a book that shows a mother's love and the security of having many options at your fingertips that enrich your life (or in this book make you drift off in contented sleep). Younger children enjoy having a book read to them time after time (moreso than the parents enjoy the reading of it). It seems that with Hush Little Baby I find new details in the artwork each reading and even I havn't tired of it yet. Every page is warm and cozy and filled with nature or cuddles or quilts or bears..all things little children can relate to. I love the individual stitching around the illustrations - a different one each time you turn the page. A negative noteworthy comment (made by three of my children)is that at times the bunnys' ears are very short and seem catlike. Overall I would say this is a must in a childrens' home library!

Wonderful story/song
"Hush Little Baby" is a wonderful story/song. My three year-old daughter and I love to sing it together at night. The pictures are colorful and realistic with a lot of attention to detail. My daughter knows the story/song better than me! This would make a wonderful baby/birthday gift for children from birth and up.

Great for moms-to-be, new moms and single moms
I love how this mother teaches her child to love the world and everyday activities. And the book makes bedtime a good thing, always a plus for moms! Whether you're reading or singing Long's words, you can tap into the peace and beauty of life - helps when you're even more tired than your toddler! The illustrations are whimsical and chosing a rabbit family helps the story have more universal appeal.