Rock-a-bye Baby

September 1, 2017

Toddler-PreS-Cabrera updates the nursery rhyme with a cast of animal characters putting their own babies to sleep in various places throughout a tree. While the first page starts with the familiar refrain of "Rock-a-bye Baby/on the treetop, /when the wind blows the cradle will rock," the illustration is of a full-branched knotty tree, complete with all of the animals and insects that will appear on future page spreads. An orange-hued squirrel cradles her baby in her arms as a watchful robin checks on its chick that is tucked in the nest. Anthropomorphized creatures such as smiling butterflies, spiders, and snakes are located in different parts of the tree with their slumbering tots. Acrylic painted pictures stretch corner to corner across spreads of warm yellows, tawny tans, and mossy greens with plenty of textured brush strokes and strong black outlines. The book ends with a slumbering newborn baby with brown skin being cradled by dad: "Rock-a-bye Baby, /WHAT A BEAUTIFUL TREE!/Sleep now, my darling, /HAPPY as can be." VERDICT A sweet bedtime selection for libraries where Cabrera's other titles are routinely checked out.-Lisa Kropp, Lindenhurst Memorial Library, NY

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 15, 2017
A riff on the familiar lullaby depicts various animal parents, and then a human father, soothing their sleepy little ones.An opening spread includes the traditional first verse of the titular lullaby, but instead of depicting a human baby in a treetop cradle, the accompanying illustration shows a large tree as habitat to the animals that are highlighted on subsequent pages. First the perspective zooms in on a painterly illustration rendered in acrylics of a mother squirrel cuddling her baby with text reading "Rock-a-bye Squirrel, / high in the tree, / in Mommy's arms, / cozy as can be." In this spread and others the cadence doesn't quite fit with the familiar tune, and repeated verses featuring different animals--all opening with the "Rock-a-bye" line--don't give way to the resolution. No winds blow, no boughs break, and the repetitive forced rhythm of the verse could cause stumbles when attempting a read-aloud. The final image of a human father and baby, whose skin tone and hair texture suggest that they are perhaps of South Asian descent, provides pleasing visual resolution in a book with art that outshines text. Ho-hum. (Picture book. 2-4)

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July 1, 2018
In the style of the traditional nursery song, this version presents a succession of animals and one human getting ready for bed: "Rock-a-bye Squirrel, / high in the tree, / in Mommy's arms, / cozy as can be." Captivating double-page spreads picture animals, including Robin, Caterpillar, Owlet, and Baby, lovingly rocked to sleep. The rhythmic cadence should likewise lull young listeners.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)