WHO WILL SING A LULLABY?

When the cranky baby won’t go to sleep, various winged creatures lend their voices and their wings to the cause. “ ‘Listen to that baby cry!’ the birds around the cradle sigh. ‘Who will sing a lullaby?’ ” goes the refrain. The first bird to give a try is the blue-black crow, who takes the baby soaring over cornfields. As crow lays baby down asleep, so proud is he that he squawks, “Caw-caw!” re-awakening the little one. Then a downy goose gives a whirl, flying over the blue lake, followed by an owl and then a swan. All succeed in putting the infant to sleep, but only momentarily. Finally, the nightingale sings the baby a lullaby of such love, tenderness and comfort that baby slips deeply and happily into slumber. The stunning menagerie of colors, from cobalt blues to burnt oranges, delights the eyes. The background, a potpourri of leaf prints, gives a comforting sense of nestled suspension. In and of itself a lullaby, this is a sumptuous bedtime read. (Picture book. 2-5)