The ABC Book of Lullabies

This is an old book from 2008 but what I love about books like this is the way they allow you to explore a range of illustrators - in this case illustrators from Australia:

Tamsin Ainslie, Jonathan Bentley, Gaye Chapman, Janine Dawson, Wayne Harris, Ann James, Stephen Michael King, Alison Lester, Caroline Magerl, Kilmeny Niland, Anna Pignataro, Cheryl Orsini, and Emma Quay. 

The cover art is by Emma Quay:

Here is the illustration from Stephen Michael King:

Illustration by Stephen Michael King for Golden Slumbers

I wonder who selected the illustrators to include in this book? I wonder if they were able to select their lullaby to illustrate? I did enjoy reading the end notes where each illustrator talks each specific lullaby. The ABC of the title refers to the publisher's name and not the organisation of the lullabies.

Books like The ABC Book of Lullabies are produced for two audiences simultaneously: the child who focuses on the images as the words are read to them and the adult (usually) who is reading. Each will take different things from the reading. An adult may well be interested in the differences between the images and the differing styles of each illustrator. Short bios, including sketches and photos are included in the final pages for those readers. Each illustrator shares a little about what they do and why, and why they’ve chosen the particular lullaby. Children will enjoy this collection whatever time they read or are read to, but it does make a lovely bedtime collection. For adults, The ABC Book of Lullabies is a bit like a sampler, introducing the work of some of Australia’s most talented illustrators. Or perhaps an illustrators’ version of an anthology. Aussie Reviews

If you have this book in your library and you have a small display space you could copy the pages from this book as a way to explore the CBCA 2026 slogan "Symphony of Stories". Lullabies are often examples of simple stories and hopefully also of familiar stories.

Here are a couple of examples:

Rock-a-bye Baby

Rock-a-bye, baby, in the treetop,

When the wind blows the cradle will rock;

When the bough breaks the cradle will fall,

And down will come baby, cradle and all.

Baby is drowsing, cosy and fair.

Mother sits near, in her rocking chair.

Forward and back the cradle she swings,

And though baby sleeps, he hears what she sings.

From the high rooftops down to the sea,

No one's as dear as baby to me.

Wee little fingers, eyes wide and bright --

Now sound asleep until morning light.

Hush Little Baby

Hush, little baby, don't say a word,

Mama's going to buy you a mockingbird.

And if that mockingbird don't sing,

Mama's going to buy you a diamond ring.

And if that diamond ring turns brass,

Mama's going to buy you a looking glass.

And if that looking glass gets broke,

Mama's going to buy you a billy goat.

And if that billy goat won't pull,

Mama's going to buy you a cart and bull.

And if that cart and bull turn over,

Mama's going to buy you a dog named Rover.

And if that dog named Rover won't bark,

Mama's going to buy you a horse and cart.

And if that horse and cart fall down,

You'll still be the sweetest little baby in town.

I imagine most of these names are very familiar to you. There was only one illustrator that I had not heard of - or perhaps I knew the books but not their names? - Janine Dawson is the illustrator of Pudding and Chips; Bobbie Dazzler and Junkyard Dogs. She also did illustrations for the Aussie Nibble Pippa's Perfect Picnic and the covers of the Lily Quench series. 

Here is one book from each of the illustrators who have work in this book. In most cases you can pop a title into my search bar to read more:

Sleep Rhymes around the World edited by Jane Yolen

"Mothers and fathers all over the world sing and tell and tell lullaby rhymes to their sleepy children, whether those children doze in tents or huts or apartment houses that reach the sky."

First off I do need to say this book (1994) is long out print but I wanted to share it because I love the idea of collecting lullabies, books like this can be an interesting way to explore illustrators from around the world, and when I saw Jane Yolen's name on the cover I knew this book would be a special one.

Blurb: Sleep rhythms around the world presents a wonderful collection of lullabies from seventeen different nations. Each lullaby is illustrated by an artist native to the country represented. 

Here are some of the countries: Afghanistan; Nigeria; Finland; Uganda; Thailand; Italy; USA; Slovenia; Venezuela and Ukraine.

Illustrators with pages that appeal to me Italy - Maria Battaglia; Ukraine - Maria Peschena; Finland - Kristina Louhi; Iran - Feroozeh Golmohammadi; and Turkey - Mustafa Delogu. 

Read some review comments here. 

Jane Yolen also edited a companion volume entitled Street Rhymes around the world (1992).

Hush! by Minfong Ho illustrated by Holly Meade

Bookseller blurb: In an endearing lullaby, a mother asks a lizard, a monkey, and a water buffalo to be quiet and not disturb her sleeping baby.

And of course there is a delightful twist on the last page. This book has wonderful illustrations and it would be a beautiful gift for a young child or a new baby. I wonder if a board book edition was ever made?

Black cat, black cat,

don't come creeping.

Can't you see that

Baby's sleeping?

Black cat, black cat,

don't you cry,

My baby's sleeping

right nearby.

Hush was published in 1996 with a new edition in 2000. My copy was purchased for the library I visit each week in 2012. Hush! won a Caldecott honor in 1997 for Holly Mead (1956-2013). This book is still available to buy. 

In this video the text has been changed into a song - this is well worth watching. 

Exceptionally beautiful cut-paper-and-ink illustrations in earth tones use the varied textures of the paper to wonderful effect, depicting traditional Thai textiles, basketry, and building styles. All of young children's favorite elements are here: a reassuringly predictable, rhyming text, animals and their sounds, a mischievous subplot in the pictures, and an ever-so-slightly naughty child who fools everyone in the end. A sure winner. Kirkus

Minfong Ho was born in Rangoon, Burma, and raised in both Singapore and Bangkok, Thailand. Her parents are of Chinese origin, so she spoke fluent Chinese in her home, Thai in the marketplace of Bangkok and English in school. She was educated in Thailand and Taiwan, before moving to the United States to attend Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. While attending Cornell University, Ho began writing her first short story, in an attempt to combat strong feelings of homesickness. She recognized that many Americans had false notions about life in Asia and she set out to change this by writing based on her own experience there. 

Goodnight Songs by Margaret Wise Brown

Goodnight Songs are a set of previously unpublished lullabies by Margaret Wise Brown with illustrations by twelve different illustrators. I knew six of the names and six I needed to investigate.  You already know I do enjoy books like this that bring together the work of different illustrators. 

Jonathan Bean; Carin Berger; Sophie Blackall; Linda Bleck; Renata Liwska; Christopher Silas Neal; Zachariah O'Hora; Eric Puybaret; Sean Qualls; Isabel Roxas; Melissa Sweet; and Dan Yaccarino. The cover illustration is by Isabel Roxas. You can see more of her books here. My fabourite pages are the ones by Eric Puybaret (from France) and Sophie Blackall.

Melissa Sweet

Watch this video to see and hear some of the illustrators and learn more about how this book came to be discovered and published. 

Listen to a two-minute audio sample here of the first lullaby - The Noon Balloon. There are links here to all of the songs (but this site does have advertisements). You can see all the pages from Goodnight Songs here. 

As for the poetry, it feels wonderfully, authentically Margaret Wise Brown. Though full of fanciful ideas and imagery, Brown’s work never gets to be “too much” for kids to digest. Her specialty has always been simple words and phrases, rocking repetition, and a youthful perspective—a kid’s-eye view, so to speak. These new poems are no different and employ the familiar language and lilt of her classics. Barnes and Noble

"One can hope to make a child laugh or feel clear and happy-headed as he follows the simple rhythm to its logical end. It can jog him with the unexpected and comfort him with the familiar, lift him for a few minutes from his own problems of shoelaces that won't tie, and busy parents and mysterious clock time, into the world of a bug or a bear or a bee or a boy living in the timeless world of a story." Margaret Wise Brown

Goodnight Songs was published in 2014 so it is now sadly out of print but if you can find a copy and you have a music teacher in your school you should share this book which comes with a CD so you can hear and sing each of the twelve lullabies. 

Mushroom Lullaby by Kenneth Kraegel

"You head up your soft mushroom stair and read a book in your big mushroom chair."

For the first few pages of this lullaby, we meet various mushrooms in different situations. On the ground, on a tree branch, in a desert, under a waterfall. Then turn the page and we find a mushroom house with a front door and window. This is sure to enchant your young reading companion. The path to the house even has a small lantern hanging on a twig rather like the light from Narnia. There is an outdoor table with a checkers board game and inside the house you will see shelves crammed with books and other toy treasures. There is even a model of the mushroom house itself. 

A nearly square trim size and ink-and-watercolor compositions with an abundance of curves and rounded shapes create a setting filled with quiet joy and a sense of security. Stippling and other surface patterns provide texture and gradations of light. As the day winds down, the warm palette becomes even more intense, with glowing embers in the fireplace and deep orange-red walls and décor. Kirkus Star review

The font is large and so easy to read throughout that it works so well for bedtime. There are relatively few words on each page, with merely a phrase or two on the spread. The illustrations are quite detailed and lovely, really inviting the reader to explore this magical world visually on each page and leading into the slower pace that works so well for bedtime books. The amount of words and simplicity of the story along with the rhymes will work well for toddlers on up. YA Books Central

Publisher blurb: In gentle rhyme, this spare and whimsical picture book from the one-of-a-kind imagination of Kenneth Kraegel introduces little readers to all sorts of wonderful mushrooms: ones that grow up high and ones that never stay dry, ones that grow in a park and ones that glow in the dark, and even one made just for them! Who can resist climbing up the soft mushroom stair, curling up in a plush mushroom chair, and preparing to dream sweet mushroom dreams? The lulling narration and warm illustrations of this charmingly quirky book will have drowsy young ones settling into their own comfy beds, ready to drift off to sleep.

I first saw this book in an independent bookstore (sadly this store has now closed). I told the teacher-librarian of the library where I volunteer each week and she generously purchased this for her library. I did mention the author Kenneth Kraegel in a previous post. Here is his webpage.

If I had a little dream by Nina Laden illustrated by Melissa Castrillon

"If I had a little house,

I would name it Love.

Love would make me happy

and protect me like a glove. ...

If I had a little pond,

I would name it Wonder.

Wonder would show me beauty

above the water and under."

You might like to read my previous post about picture books that contain poems, or philosophical musing. If I had a little dream perfectly fits this category. It is a lyrical book with scrumptious illustrations and it would be a comforting book to share during a quiet reading time with your young reading companion but you do need to know there is no actual narrative in this book. It is just a series of thoughts or dreams or musings. It could be a lovely gift for a new child or as a Christening present. If you read this book to a class of older students the form of each page/poem could be used as a writing stimulus.

If I had a little land; If I had a little house; If I had a little garden; If I had a little pond; If I had a little boat; If I had a little bicycle; If I had a little table; If I had a little chair; If I had a little dog; If I had a little cat; If I had a little brother; If I had a little sister; If I had a little book; If I had a little bed; and finally the last page matched the title - If I had a little dream.

See inside this book here

Jacket flap: Celebrate the wonder of the world in this reassuring picture book about the joy, love, and beauty that is part of each and every day. Our world is full of possibilities if you look for them.

Some people (reviewers) are lucky and are sent advance copies of new books - this rarely happens to me but I am lucky because twice each year our local Lifeline hold a charity book sale and I always find so many book treasures - many for gifts and some to keep.

If I had a Little Dream (2017) is listed as AUS$30 on an online bookseller site - my copy was AUS$4 from the sale and it is in mint condition, with an intact dust jacket which, when lifted, reveals a different cover image - I am a huge fan of this. Now I have to decide will I keep this book on my own bulging shelves or gift it to a family.

You can see more books by Nina Laden here. You could use this video with your library group (I would turn off the sound and read it yourself). 

Within the art’s parameters, each page turn produces a fresh look in terms of layout, negative space, and appealing, eye-catching details. The overarching sentiments are love and gentleness, and the verse and artwork complement each other as they lull a child into sleepiness. ... Easy on the eyes and ears; excellent for bedtime. Kirkus

I picked up this book because I have seen other books illustrated by Melissa Castrillon and I do really love her art style. Melissa Castrillon is an and English and Colombian illustrator based in the southeast of England. She spends a large chunk of her days illustrating and writing picture books for children as well illustrating and designing book covers for readers of all ages. She has illustrated more than ten picture books, written three and they have been translated into more than 20 languages around the world.

Her newest book published earlier this year is Love is my favourite Colour (Color for US readers).

Mighty Min

Nano

Dear Little One

Little Treasure by Chanelle Gosper illustrated by Jennifer Goldsmith

 

Publisher blurb: A mother and child explore a deserted beach on a windy day. It is an afternoon they will both treasure always. A poetic and tender book about how the small moments spent together are often the most precious.

One of the important "outcomes" that comes from reading a well written and beautifully illustrated picture book to a child (of any age) is they will hear rich language.  Look at these examples from Little Treasure:

"A smooth purple pebble with silvery lines, a seaweed strand with beads so fine, blue sea glass in the shape of a bell, and a tiny pale pink heart-shaped shell."

"A piece of the night sky that fell from the stars, a necklace of green stones sparkling like glass, a precious sapphire as blue as can be, and a perfectly pink charm of the sea."

I don’t think there is one straight line anywhere in any of the images in the book. The illustrations have a fluidity that capture the shifting nature of the beach setting and the make-believe scenes from the characters’ imaginations. Towards the end of the book, we begin to grasp the dual meaning of the title, Little Treasure. For while the child is lost in her world of seaside treasures, the mother is treasuring the experience of being with her innocent, inquisitive daughter. Reading Time

The ordinary becomes the extraordinary as shells and seaweed become a mermaids’ jewels; a ship on the horizon transports treasure to unknown places; footsteps in the sand become pathways to new adventures and undiscovered worlds.  And throughout it all, is threaded the unending love between mother and child fed by the small moments that become memories and the joy of sharing them in a timeless bubble, reminding us that those are the most precious things of all. The Bottom Shelf

Stop and look at the end papers and then next time you visit the seaside you might look for this seaweed that is like a string of pearls. I found the scientific name for Neptunes Pearls Hormosira banksii.

Image source iNaturalist New Zealand

Little Treasure is a 2024 CBCA Notable Picture Book. 

A Feather on a Wing by Maria Speyer

"You're a flower and we're linked together in a daisy chain. You're a raindrop in a shower, and we need each drop of rain."

"You're a stitch along a scarf, and every stitch keeps out the cold. You're a branch in a treetop and this tree is big and old."

This book feels like one an adult or grandparent might gift a child. There are a lot of these “wisdom” books on the market right now but this one is a good addition to that cannon. I like the song/lullaby on the final pages. The idea of being important but also a small part of everything is beautifully expressed especially with the idea of stitches in the knitting and one voice in a choir. The underwater page is especially appealing – the treasure in the open box appears to shimmer. Several pages look quite ethereal and certainly match the lullaby tone of the text. 

The colour palette here works so well to create a lovely night-time effect and dream-like quality. Although the back of the book tells us that this is about a little girl and her sister, the text has much more of a universal appeal – this message could be being told from parent to child or sister to brother.  

The rhythm and rhyme here are gentle and are essential in creating the lullaby tone. Together the words and images combine to make a beautiful bedtime story.  There’s also a wonderful sense of movement created – the journey across the ocean, the flight across the sky – contrasted perfectly with some gorgeous moments of utter stillness (especially that final sleeping image). 

It is such a bonus to have the musical score and a link to hear the lullaby. 

This is Maria Speyer’s first book in English. The publisher site has a link to some useful teachers notes. 

Maria Speyer is a Danish-born artist, illustrator and author who lives with her husband and daughters in Sydney, where she draws, paints and writes in her studio at home. She has presented papers on imagistic thinking and the phenomenology of drawing and published and illustrated a number of Danish children’s books.

Read this interview with Joy Lawn at Paperbark Words. You can see inside the book too. Maria Speyer says: A Feather on a Wing is about making kids feel included. It’s about how we imagine ourselves in the context of the world and how we encourage others to imagine themselves. It’s natural, of course, that we want our kids to be strong and independent, but I think it’s equally important to reassure them (and ourselves) that we don’t have to do everything alone.

With a Scandinavian feel, each double page spread image is filled with loose sketches in soft water colour that creates movement and comfort. The siblings are identifiable in their turquoise and coral and Speyer has added subtle details that add to the joy of the story. Storylinks

Meet the author illustrator Kenneth Kraegel

My local book store - Beachside Bookshop shared this book with me a couple of days ago. 

A mycological charmer. Kirkus Star review

Here is the blurb: In gentle rhyme, this spare and whimsical picture book from the one-of-a-kind imagination of Kenneth Kraegel introduces little readers to all sorts of wonderful mushrooms: ones that grow up high and ones that never stay dry, ones that grow in a park and ones that glow in the dark, and even one made just for them! Who can resist climbing up the soft mushroom stair, curling up in a plush mushroom chair, and preparing to dream sweet mushroom dreams? 

Then Nerdy Book Club posted this from Kenneth Kraegel. 

I was curious to discover more about Kenneth Kraegel and his books. The wonderful school library I visit each week had one book by Kenneth - King Arthur's very great Grandson.

Blurb: Henry Alfred Grummorson is the great-great-great-great-great-great great grandson of Arthur, King of Britain. On his sixth birthday, adorned with a helmet and sword, Henry goes in search of adventure. He challenges a fire-breathing dragon to a fight, but the dragon prefers a game of blowing smoke rings. A cyclops wants only to have a staring contest. Even the griffin will not engage in "a battle to the uttermost" of the type Henry desires. Desperate for a real battle, strength against strength, might against might, Henry seeks out the fearsome leviathan. Has he met his match at last -- or might he find something he didn't know he was looking for? Children bold and imaginative will relate to Henry's quest -- and smile at its unintended consequences.

Kirkus review: This is a good choice for reading aloud and for discussing such topics as friendship, aggression and the bravery it takes to change your mind.

This is a book of Shapes is a board book. Kirkus said: Bound to put a smile on readers’ faces.

Warna-Manda Baby Earth Walk by Susan Betts and Mandy Foot

Warna means sea; Manda means earth

Susan Betts is a Wirangu woman from South Australia. She says this book is about "that connection to the earth and being able to share that connection ... It hope that it inspires everyone, especially children, because that's who I wrote it for, to feel and awaken that sense of connection to Mother Earth."

Listen to this 8 minute ABC 2013 interview with Susan Betts where she talks about her school program.

This book is a lullaby you could share with a very young child. The repeated patterns on each page are very appealing and the way parts of this pattern are also used in Warna-Manda’s dress gives the little girl a perfect connection with the wide world as she explores her world on each page. 

After some further research I did discover a little more about the illustrations. Susan’s paintings make up the backgrounds used on each page with the characters in the foreground created by illustrator Mandy Foot. South Australian author Katrina Germein assisted with adapting the original text.

If you know someone celebrating the arrival of a new baby this book would be a special gift.  Here is part of the text:

Warna-Manda Baby, it's time for you to sand. 

On this earth, walk your feet, gently on the sand.

Warna-Manda Baby, look around ... explore.

Beautiful eyes see the world. You'll never need no more.

You can see art from this book on Mandy Foot's web page. Raising Literacy Australia were part of this project.. This book came from a collaboration between Susan Betts, who comes from Streaky Bay in South Australia, the illustrator Mandy Foot and author Katrina Germein. I especially love Katrina's book Big Rain Coming.  The text of this book first appeared in It's Bedtime and Lullabies for babies. The original words can be sung to the tune of Incy Wincy Spider.

Polar Bear Night by Lauren Thompson illustrated by Stephen Savage

 

A polar bear cub sets off on a night time walk. It is a magical journey filled with starlight and snow and sleeping animals.

Sadly this book from 2004 is now out of print but you might be lucky and find a copy in a well stocked library. There was once also a board book edition of Polar Bear Night. The lino cut art in this book is very different and ideal to share with a preschool child. Every page looks cold and the polar bear cub, with his little geometric face, is so appealing. In 2004, Polar Bear Night was named a New York Times Best Illustrated children’s book, an ALA Notable Book, and a Charlotte Zolotow Honor Book. Read this interview with Stephen. 

The simplicity in the art, text, and plot belie the deft craftsmanship, like carving an ice sculpture. This bedtime story will captivate young listeners; it sparkles just like ice crystals on a moonlit night. Kirkus Star review

Hush, Little Baby illustrated by Shari Halpern

I mentioned Shari Halpern yesterday. Now I have her collage illustrated version of the nursery rhyme lullaby:

Hush, little baby, don't say a word,

Mama's going to buy you a mockingbird.

And if that mockingbird won't sing,

Mama's going to buy you ...

A diamond ring; a looking glass; a billy goat; a cart and bull; a dog named Rover; and a horse and cart.

This book was first published in 1997 but it has been reissued as a board book and even though in this format it is expensive here in Australia I think this book would make a beautiful present for a new baby.

The end papers of this book contain a quilt of tiny collages. These are then featured as a border on each page. You can see the carrots and horse shoes above. If I had a new baby I would buy two copies of this book and (I know this sounds slightly wrong or illegal but) I would cut up one copy and frame the illustrations to decorate a nursery. 

Africa Calling nighttime falling by Daniel Adlerman illustrated by Kimberly M Adlerman

Tuesday Treasure

Publisher blurb: All across Africa, as the sun sinks lower in the sky, the animals ready for the night. Lion prowls. Viper slinks. Monkey swings. Hippo splashes. And meanwhile, a child prepares for her own peaceful dreaming. The jaunty rhythms, gentle rhymes, and beautiful illustrations in this book will send every child off to a good night’s rest.

I picked up this book from a display in the library I visit each week. I marvel at the way the books in this collection look so fresh and new even though this book was purchased for the library back in 2009. The date due slip shows that book has been borrowed 12 times.  I had not heard of Daniel Adlerman or his wife Kimberly Adlerman (see her art here) but flipping the book open the collage art inside really appealed to me. 

Here is a set of teaching notes to use with this book. This book is based on a song but my copy did not come with the CD and since this book was first published in 1996 it seems the CD called One Size Fits All, Listen up - is no longer available. If you can find this book and you have a school music teacher perhaps the students and teacher could compose some music to use with this book. This book contains rich words such as prowling, romping, cautiously eyeing, massive and stunning. The revised edition (paperback) of this book contains more details about the African animals, a map and a song lyric sheet. You may be lucky to find a copy - here is the ISBN 9781620147955.