You're Sung with Me by Chitra Soundar illustrated by Poonam Mistry

Parental love, sound ecological advice, 

and breathtaking illustrations all in one. Kirkus Star review

"She made a den just big enough for her to turn over, and waited for the falling snow to seal it shut."

Two cubs are born - "You're safe with me."

As the pair grow they begin to explore their den and ask their mother questions about the outside world. Their mother explains the season, the oceans, the cosmos, the balance of nature and the wondrous creatures who live on the land and sea. Eventually the day arrives when the cubs can emerge from the den. 

Blurb: At the start of winter, two bear cubs are born, deep in their den in the frozen north. 'Mama, what lies beyond here?' they ask. "'Above us is a land of ice and snow." "What lies beyond the ice and snow?" they ask. "The ocean, full of ice from long ago." And as they learn the secrets of the earth and their place in it, Mama Bear whispers, "You're snug with me."

Each page is made up of repeating patterns, forming both the animals in the foreground and the whole of the wintry setting making up the background. Illustrator Poonam Mistry uses colour selectively and carefully: all of the illustrations are made up of yellows, oranges, blues and greens and as spring approaches, the pages become brighter. Different snowflakes feature on almost every page and overall the   illustrations throughout the book have a magical quality. Books for Topics

I mentioned Poonam Mistry a couple of days ago when I talked about It's Up to Us: A Children's Terra Carta by Christopher Lloyd and I mentioned Poonan Mistry. Her work is very distinctive and appealing and this book was shortlisted for the 2020 Kate Greenaway medal.

Being brought up surrounded by Indian fabrics, paintings and ornaments have heavily influenced my work. Poonam Mistry.

You can see here You're Snug with me is one book from a set of three - You're Safe with me and You're Strong with me all by author Chitra Soundar.  I wish I could say you should add all of these to your library but here in Australia only schools with very generous budgets will be able to afford these hardcover books which are listed at over $30 each. You could look for How the Stars Came to Be because it is available in paperback for a much lower price. 

Here is the blurb for You're Safe with me: When the moon rises high and the stars twinkle, it is bedtime for the baby animals of the Indian forest. But tonight, when the skies turn dark and the night grows stormy, the little ones can't sleep. SWISH-SWISH! CRACK-TRACK! FLASH-SNAP! goes the storm. Only Mama Elephant with her words of wisdom can reassure them. "You're safe with me." A modern fable that reads like a folktale, this beautifully illustrated tale of motherly love is a perfect bedtime story.

And the blurb for You're Strong with me: The rain clouds are long gone and the dry season scorches the land. Everything is new for the baby giraffe. As she bounds ahead and lags behind, her mother patiently explains the ways of the grasslands. And until she grows a little taller, older, and wiser, her mother reminds her: 'You're strong with me.'