"When the day feels short and the night feels wide / Little stars go run and hide / I'll make me a lullaby raft to ride / to the other side." All children should be fortunate enough to be lulled to sleep with Nyes soothing images requiring nothing of them other than dreamy awareness: a chicken sleeping with her head tucked low, a bunny climbing into a dresser drawer, a turtle folding into its walls, and a lizard licking the darkness clean. "On the river of the sky...The stars will drift and gently soar...The moon will float like a little rowboat / Without an oar." If they are especially lucky, weary children will hear Nye's seven-verse lullaby sung to them. Easy music notation for the original lullaby is provided at the end of this exquisite volume illustrated with Flesher's chalk pastel drawings on paper. The illustrations feature visions of a dream-like parent and a dream-like wee girl in a bouffant white skirt found only in dreams or dress-up boxes. The jacket's die-cut star shapes add to the elegant book production. (Ages 2-6) Honor Book, CCBC Caldecott Award Discussion

My mama sings me a lullaby

When the sun goes down

My mama sings me a lullaby

All my own . . .

This stunning picture book is based on a song Naomi Shihab Nye wrote and recorded and is illustrated with breathtaking pastels by one of the most respected editorial illustrators working today. Naomi's magical, lyrical lullaby explores the magic of the night and a child's first brush with independence. The book first introduces readers to the child's compelling circle of pets -- a chicken, turtle, bunny, and lizard -- and then invites us to join the child and the animals for a ride on a small slice of the golden moon . . . the lullaby raft. The lullaby itself is quiet, intriguing, and empowering and Vivienne's haunting and elegant illustrations both extend and compliment the words.