It's time to hush and say good night

Soundar's sleek first-person couplets offer comfort in the face of nighttime anxieties while centering on a refrain: "Count the stars that twinkle bright,/ It's time to hush and say good night." Throughout, the speaker references nature as they assuage ("Ink this night with tendrils blue,/ I shush the whistling caves for you"), and Prabhat's artwork highlights the reassuring relationship between a brown-skinned, dark-haired child and caretaker. Bold, page-filling patterns pair with surrealist depictions of bears, bees, birds, fish, and more cascading through the sky and spiraling around the protagonists. The result is an visually lively and insistent lure toward sleep. An opening note cites "traditional lullabies from India, where the nature around us is called upon to soothe," as inspiration. Ages 2--5. (Oct.)

A parent comforts a child with a lullaby. Tucking the little one in, the parent reads a book that leads the child on a magical journey. As the two wander through deep jungles and "merry streams," they gaze at all the sleeping creatures. Peacocks, owls, fish, bears, and other animals drift, swirl, and whirl around them. Though the youngster is reluctant to give in to sleep, the parent says to "hand your sobs / to roaring seas. / Gift your rage to / the swarming bees." Slowly and gently, as the child falls asleep, the parent keeps up the refrain: "Count the stars that twinkle bright. / It's time to hush and say good night." It all ends with a good-night kiss and the parent's promise to welcome the little one at sunrise. This is a soothing look at a shared nighttime ritual between a parent and child. Despite some abrupt transitions, the gentle rhyme is quietly comforting. The colorful and bold illustrations in deep reds and indigo blues merge into an inky black night and add a sense of wonder and whimsy. The characters are brown-skinned; their attire hints at South Asian heritage, and in a note, Soundar mentions that she was inspired by traditional Indian lullabies. Sure to calm children at bedtime--and then to enliven their dreams.(Picture book. 3-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.