Product Description

A bestseller now in a board book with a rattle! Slyvia Long's beloved book is now available in a gift set for babies. The boxed set includes Hush Little Baby in a sturdy board book edition and a soft bunny rattle that fits perfectly around a crib railing. Infants will love playing with this friendly, flannel bunny toy and parents will be charmed by the book's beautiful illustrations and wonderful, loving message.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1971613 in Books
• Published on: 1997-03-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover

From Amazon.com
"Hush little baby, don't say a word,
Mama's going to show you a hummingbird.
If that hummingbird should fly,
Mama's going to show you the evening sky."

Sylvia Long's award-winning (Child Magazine's Best of 1997) ode to mother-child love takes a favorite lullaby and makes it--is it possible?--even better. Troubled by the buy-buy-buy mentality of the original ("Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird/diamond ring/a dog named Rover..."), Long adapts the song to her--and our--liking. Mama now shows her baby the comforting wonders of the world: crickets, shooting stars, warm bedspreads. Long's gorgeous ink and watercolor paintings are reminiscent of Clement Hurd's illustrations in Margaret Wise Brown's Goodnight Moon. And now, with this gift set, fans of this sweet lullaby can have a "little baby" bunny all their own, along with a small board book edition of their sing-along favorite! The unbelievably soft plush rabbit rattle is curved into a shape and size just right for tiny hands. Wrap the cuddly pajama-clad bunny around a crib railing so your baby can always reach it. What a perfect gift for the new mother or mother-to-be! (Baby to preschool) --Emilie Coulter

From Booklist
Ages 3-6 "Bothered" by what she sees as the materialism of the original song, Long has reworked a familiar lullabye: "Hush Little Baby, don't say a word, / Mama's going to show you a hummingbird." While her retelling stands on its own, it's the artwork that shines here. Long's beautiful ink-and-watercolor paintings are richly colored and realistically detailed. The right page of the spread focuses on the tender and loving relationship between Mama and her baby bunny. Surrounded by borders that resemble quilt stitches, the left side of the spread features a smaller picture that either highlights denizens of the natural world--a cricket, a lightning bug, a harvest moon--or the objects found in the child's cozy bedroom. A lovely book. Julie Corsaro

From Kirkus Reviews
In a variant of the traditional lullaby, a mother rabbit draws on the natural world at the close of day for her young child's bedtime ritual. Hummingbird, cricket, shooting star, and lightning bug are featured in the evening observances a mother makes for her child as shadows fall. After dark, the scenes move indoors, and the child's bedtime is prefaced with a story, a warm quilt, a teddy bear, and a song: ``When that star has dropped from view, Mama's going to read a book with you. When that story has been read, Mama's going to bring you a warm bedspread.'' The artwork is cloned from Long's illustrations for Jonathan London's Liplap's Wish (1994, not reviewed), with her trademark rabbits frequently depicted in warm embraces. Star-studded pajamas, designer carrot curtains, and a patchwork quilt showing each story element make for a contemporary version of the ``great green room'' most children already know so well. A caveat: Squeamish children will not be soothed by the realistic depictions of the cricket and lightning bug mentioned in the song. The musical score is not included, but adults and listeners won't be able to refrain from humming or singing along. (Picture book. 1-5) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.