Lullaby for Emily - Hardcover

Kherdian, David

3.57

7 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805029575 ISBN 13: 9780805029574

Publisher: Henry Holt & Co, 1995

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A picture book written and illustrated for a newborn is an ideal gift for parents and grandparents who can substitute their special child's name as they share a lullaby about the things parents and children do together through the years.

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From Publishers Weekly:

Kherdian's lilting lullaby addresses a cherished child named Emily-in spot art she is portrayed as an infant being cuddled by her mother, but in each long stanza (and its accompanying full-or double-page illustration) she is visited in the future, happily engaged in an activity imagined by her mother. Whether Emily is pictured with a puppy or picking wildflowers "to see/ does he love me yes, or does he love me not," the tone is hushed and loving, each verse beginning with some variation of "Sleep gently, sweet Emily." Hogrogian's evocative oil paintings depict classic playtime pleasures-jumping in the hay, climbing a tree-and children might find the sweet portraits of the mother and her baby reassuring. Even so, the book is more suitable for a new parent or grandparent than for a toddler because of its complicated depiction of time and such abstract passages as the peaceful ending stanza: "one day brings another,/ there is no end to time,/ sleep gently, sleep sweetly/ for love is all around." Ages 4-7.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist:

Ages 6 mos.^-4 yrs. Sleepy (or not-so-sleepy) infants will enjoy the melodious text that the flap copy says is written for them, but this book reaches out to older siblings and parents, too. A mother sings to her newborn, "Sleep gently, sweet Emily, / sleep softly, sleep well, / and when you awaken / we will go and watch the animals." On surrounding pages, the animals are depicted in dreamy, sherbet-hued acrylics on canvas and described with invigorating freshness: a "hooting bear that in the spring / sounds like the owls of the night," for example. The book alternates intimate silhouettes of mother and baby with imagined future scenes as they relish seasonal pleasures such as climbing a linden tree, planting a garden, and tobogganing. The scenes of things to come are intriguingly detailed enough to hook older children and so emotionally charged as to tug at the heartstrings of hope-filled new parents. This collaboration of two sure talents is intelligent, insightful, and moving. Julie Yates Walton

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