The Animals' Lullaby

by Tom Paxton

ISBN 0-688-10468-1 (Trade edition)
ISBN 0-688-10469-X (Library edition)

1993 Published by Morrow Junior Books, New York

Synopsis

Enter the gentle world of animal bedtimes. Follow doves as they fly home to their treetop nests and chipmunks as they dash back to cozy burrows. See puppies and kittens, tired from all their playing, curl up for the night. And watch children who are touched by the Sandman fall asleep, safe in their patch-quilted beds.
In this comforting lullaby, popular folksinger Tom Paxton evokes a peaceful world going to sleep. And award-winning artist Erick Ingraham's stunningly lifelike illustrations are the perfect companion to Paxton's soothing verse.Together Paxton and Ingraham have created a bedtime book children and their parents will want to return to again and again.

Reviews

School Library Journal June 1, 1993
PreS. Paxton's original lullaby-cum-folksong sings of woodland animals and pets, birds, fish, and children settling down to sleep. The brief refrain wishes a good night to each. A short verse about each animal---- mare, dove, otter, chipmunk, swan, porcupine, etc,---is accompanied by a soft, full-page, detailed realistic acrylic painting. Very young children will delight in hearing the words as they take in the reassuring illustrations. Older children will enjoy learning and singing the verses. Music is included on the endpapers. Lovely new bedtime fare for families to share.----Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH

Publisher's Weekly May 3, 1993 [A starred review]
In this splendidly designed bedtime book, folk singer Paxton (Birds of a Feather; Engelbert the Elephant) wind down the preschool crowd and sets the mood for slumber with tranquil verses featuring an array of animals heading for home at the close of day - "White swans are gliding, / Feathers as soft as snow. / Gently they lead their young ones / Back where the rushes grow." Paxton's roll call extends beyond the usual farmyard roundup to such less familiar critters as otters, foxes, tropical fish and porcupines. Later, the sandman appears, and the story ends with a pair of children sleeping in a cozy farmhouse bathed in moonlight. Ingraham makes the most of the irresistible imagery with a series of naturalistic illustrations set against a twilight palette of plums, cool blues and mossy greens. Youngsters will delight in the sweet security of this soothing, orderly world where everyone has a place, and all are snug, warm and "safe in the arms of night." Endpapers feature the musical notation---- for those who prefer to sing instead of read. Ages 3-up.