OVERVIEW
Dee Leone Children's Author
Glimpses of forests, meadows, lakes, farms, and seas all help to soothe restless child readers as bedtime draws near. With a balanced and fluid text, Leone draws readers into a blue-tinged nightscape where “Moths with powdery wings so soft / gently stir the air aloft.” As depicted by Engel in pleasant, digital art, stylized parent animals in a variety of landscapes tuck in their offspring and one another, first insects, then plants, birds, sea creatures, farm animals, woodland dwellers, and then a beige-skinned mother and child. The repeated line “Nature’s lullaby fills the night” rounds out every sequence. The book carefully eschews the excitement of the day for the comfort of night.
- Kirkus
Leone’s rhyming text and Engel’s stylized digital illustrations present an array of habitats, all encased in the soothing dark colors of the night. The mood is peaceful and drowsy as readers venture into a variety of nightscapes. Plant petals “curl up gently for the night” and a sprinkling of seeds are described as “drifting wanderers, white as snow,” that “parachute where dreams can grow.” Each section closes with a repeat of “Nature’s lullaby fills the night,” adding to the soothing idea that the whole world is drifting off to sleep. It would be a good choice for those seeking a bedtime book that also cultivates an appreciation for nature and the many different types of creatures that inhabit the night.
- School Library Journal
Night falls, and the world sings a lullaby in this beautifully illustrated picture book. The lush illustrations and gentle, rhyming text will lull young readers to sleep.
Shh—listen. Can you hear the quiet, loving sounds of the nighttime world? From moths fluttering their powdery wings, to a nightingale’s sweet trills, to swaying willow trees softly shushing, shushing everyone to sleep, this rhythmic, rhyming lullaby will soothe and calm little ones. The tender, nature-filled bedtime scenes sweep across land, sky, and sea, with animal parents everywhere tucking in their children. A final scene featuring a mother and her baby brings the whole story back home.