Hush! A Thai Lullaby

by Minfong Ho, Holly Meade

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. A lullaby which asks animals such as a lizard, monkey, and water-buffalo to be quiet and not disturb the sleeping baby.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Poetry, Cultural, Animals, Asia, Fiction

32 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1996

About the author

Minfong Ho is an award-winning Chinese-American writer. Her works frequently deal with the lives of people living in poverty in Southeast Asian countries.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a rhyming lullaby. A mother is quieting all the animals around her while her baby is wide awake. It has a lovely rhythm to it. It is quieting for bed for younger kids. Older kids just tend to roll their eyes at this, I observed.

This might sound weird, but my favorite food in the world, and I could eat is every day, is Thai food. I love it. For whatever reason, that has endured the Thai culture to me in some small way too. I also grew up loving the ‘King and I’ and it’s all about Thailand. I notice that Holly Meade doesn’t sound like a Thai name - she is the artist. I don’t know if she had much exposure to Thai culture, but I didn’t really feel like there was a lot of the Thai artistic eye in this. I was disappointed in that.

I guess this did have the desired effect. It bored my kids so that they were much calmer. They did go to bed a little easier after reading. The niece yawned at this. She wasn’t so impressed with the story and she gave this 2 stars. The nephew hates to be bored right now; it’s the greatest sin and he said this was so boring. He gave it 1 star. It’s too young for a 5 and 8 year old. I would read it to younger kids.

[Manybooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this sweet and enchantingly lyrical marriage of text and images, in Minfong Ho's Hush! A Thai Lullaby, a Thai mother repeatedly admonishes the fauna in both her domicile and the neighbouring woods to "hush" (as her baby is supposedly sleeping). The presented onomatopoeic diverse animal sounds (from the wee-wee of a tiny mosquito to the hoom-praa of a massive elephant) combined with the soothing cadence and rhythm of the author's repetitive verses become increasingly soothing and almost somniferous (although ironically and very much humorously, even after all of the animals as well as the mother are indeed and finally fast asleep, the baby alone remains awake, his eyes bright, round and alert). Now while in and of themselves Holly Meade's accompanying illustrations are not what I would consider personal favourites (I love their general descriptive expressiveness and colour scheme, but the depictions of some of the domestic animals do seem a trifle stagnant and lacking expressivity if contrasted with, say, the lizard, the monkey and the elephant) they do work exceedingly well in conjunction with the text, not only mirroring but also quite massively expanding on Minfong Ho's verses (showing the architecture and layout of a typical Thai house, with its open concept living/sleeping quarters, the adjacent rice barn, but especially and with a delightful sense of visual irony demonstrating that all the while the mother is pleading with the animals to keep down their noise so as not to awaken her infant, the little nipper is actually not only wide awake but out and about, gallivanting around the house). Highly recommended is Hush! A Thai Lullaby (and most definitely worthy of the Caldecott Honour Medal awarded, although on a personal reading enjoyment level, only a high three star book for me, lovely, descriptive but not spectacular).

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely lovely. I defy a toddler to stay awake until the end, but that's all the more reason to buy (not just borrow) the book so you can read it with them while they're awake, too. I wish this were more well-known - if not for this Caldecott club I never would have discovered it.

I like that it's a creative story, written by a Thai person, depicting animals, architecture, clothing, etc., familiar to the author's childhood... but is apparently *not* based directly on a folktale and therefore requires no historical note beyond the dedication.

Don't miss the detail, on some pages, of the baby's antics!

I will look for more by both author and illustrator.

[معصومه توکلی · Rating 5 out of 5]

فوق العاده بود!
برای خواهرها و برادرهای کوچک، برای خواهرزاده ها و برادرزاده ها و برای خودتان بخوانیدش...

تاریخ اولین مطالعه: چهارده خرداد هزاروسیصدونودودو
تاریخ دومین مطالعه: شش آبان هزاروسیصدونودوچهار برای جمع‌خوانی

[Linda Lipko · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-deserved Caldecott Honor book, this is a story from Thailand. Rhyming phrases implore the animals to please be quiet because baby is asleep. While the phrases are repeated during each two-page spread, the animals vary. At the end of the book, we learn that the baby is wide awake!

[J. Boo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in rural Thailand, the mother goes around telling animals to be quiet, baby is sleeping. I'm not generally a fan of this particular style of illustration, but still found the pictures enjoyable. The text is maybe a little bit repetitive, but that can be useful for bedtime reading, at least for younger kids. A nice twist at the end.

Esteemed Spouse grew up in the countryside nearby, and enjoyed this nostalgic trip. The kids, lacking the personal connection, weren't as interested, though the four year old seemed to appreciate it. Three stars for them, four stars for us.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

A repetitive bedtime story for your little tikes with Thai flare.

Ages: 2 - 5

Here’s a few of our bedtime favs: watch my reel!

Content Considerations: nothing to note.

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[Zoe Peszek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hush! A Thai Lullaby is a bedtime story that children around the world will love. Featuring references of exotic animals, the imagery in this story is powerful and will transport the reader to the heart of Thailand. The care a mother has for her child is heartwarming. The mother will try to do anything possible to make sure her child can sleep peacefully, even attempt the impossible: hushing all the animals in nature. How a mother puts her child to bed across the world is not so different. Relating to these experiences is a comfortable aspect for the reader. It is eye-opening to be able to connect to other cultures and realize similarities. Minfong Ho beautifully weaves in her own experiences to add an authentic touch to the story.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mother keeps trying to hush animals near her home because her baby is sleeping. The text is repetitious with slight changes each time which will make this an ideal book for preschoolers. I found the illustrations engaging (although not personal favorites) and you could certainly point out some of the geographic/cultural references in the illustrations (such as the home and rice barn being on stilts, and the well and the water buffalo). My favorite part of the illustrations was the baby...who was not sleeping.

[Ch_amyM · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a the story of a mother in Thailand trying to get the surrounding world quiet so that her baby can sleep. The rythm and rhyme make is enjoyable for young readers and exposes them to the world of Thailand with all the creatures and animals that surround the hut where mother and child live. I would recommemd this book to primary teachers and know that it could lead to really good discussions, both about the content of the book and about the phonemic awareness elements.

[Elizabeth]

Perhaps a little bit high-energy for a lullaby, but rhythmic and engaging -- the onomatopoeia is fun, and on a penultimate two-page spread you can search for all the animals you met during the story. And the repetition (with enough difference to keep it interesting) of the lullaby's structure can be soothingly rhythmic. I like the art style, and I appreciate that the characters are Asia without the story being About Asian-ness.

[Stefanie Burns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Children fond of Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. will surely enjoy this repetitive text story. Readers can predict which animal it would be and join in the sounds each animal makes. I'm surprised I had not heard of this story. I definitely would have read it to compare and contrast with Bill Martin Jr.'s What Do You See/Hear books. The use of different textured images in the story are bold and add a 3D effect. Great book for youngsters.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I lovedd this book. The mother is desperately trying to keep all the animals quiet, as her baby has just fallen asleep. At the end, the exhausted mother is asleep and the baby just wakes up. Any mother who has tried to keep a quiet house will realate to this mom! K-3

[Katelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun bedtime read. A mom hushes animals one by one, telling each to be quiet because her baby is sleeping. Unbeknownst to the mom, baby wakes up and plays around in the background. Funny and a great read aloud. The words roll off your tongue.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love children’s rhyming books the best if I’m reading out loud. This one is great! It is fun to read with a nice rhythm and then afterwards take the time to talk about the animals and actions talked about in the book. It is also a lullaby so it might be fun to do before bed.

[Monique · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rhythmic lullaby about the sounds of all around. Clearly a mothers work is never done and the welfare of your child is always most important. Loved this glimpse in Thai culture.

[Romain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Une maman vient d'endormir son enfant, mais les animaux ne dorment pas, font du bruit et peuvent à tout moment le réveiller -- certains comprendront que ce n'est pas anodin. Alors, elle va les voir un par un pour leur dire de faire moins de bruit.

Ce très beau conte en randonnée (présence de répétitions, dans ce cas les invocations à faire moins de bruit) superbement illustré nous vient du bout du monde. En fait, Minfong Ho est une américaine d'origine chinoise dont les écrits se déroulent principalement dans les pays du Sud-Est asiatique. Les dessins sont épurés et les perspectives toujours bien choisies. Les textes sont écrits -- et traduits -- en rimes, ce qui plaît beaucoup aux enfants. Une très belle découverte qui prouve, une fois de plus, que l'ouverture vers d'autres cultures est toujours enrichissante.

Également publié sur mon blog.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of repetition as a mother tries to quiet all the animals so her baby can sleep. Nothing outstanding, but it could start a discussion about how people who speak different languages hear different sounds from the animals (e.g. instead of saying "squeak squeak" a mouse says "jeed-jeed, jeed-jeed."

[Riana (RianaInTheStacks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this style of mixed media collage! The illustrations were fantastic and the lullaby was very cute.

[Suhasa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reads like a lovely rhyme and a funny twist at the end!

[SamZ · Rating 4 out of 5]

1997 Caldecott Honor - Favorite Illustration: As the mother is leaning over to hush the pigs, and she is holding her nose while she scolds them. While in the background, the baby is dangling off the porch to see what is going on under the house.
This is a beautiful book that tells of a mother trying to hush the animals surrounding her house so her baby can sleep. Of course, while she is off worrying about making everything quiet, the baby is out and about playing. The repetitive refrains are great for a bedtime story and the cute illustrations show many different animals. I also really like the setting of this story, because you could have so many discussions with kids about how people live in other countries.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

This lullaby about a sleeping baby and the many animals who try to disturb his slumber is one of the few Caldecott books I didn’t know before this challenge that would actually work well in story time - and it suits our summer theme, too! I love the red outlines of the mother, her baby, and the various animals, which draws the eye to them and makes them stand out against the background. The repetitive nature of the text and the various animal sounds make it a great book for kids to interact with, and that baby - especially the picture of him on the last page - is just adorable. This is a new favorite!

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sweet lullaby, with a rhythmic narrative and unusual onomatopoeia for the animal sounds (isn't it odd how different animal sounds are written in various countries?) It's a repetitive and soothing song that has a fun (and all too true) ending.

This book was selected as one of the books for the November 2016- Caldecott Honor discussion at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.

[Luann · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great book for reading aloud! The illustrations are cut-paper collage with ink - and simply fabulous. I especially enjoyed finding the baby on each page. He is supposed to be sleeping, which is why his mother goes around to all the animals to tell them to "Hush!" You can read this one again and again and notice something new every time. It definitely deserves its Caldecott Honor award. 4.5 stars.

[Abigail Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hush! A Thai Lullaby is a great English Language Learners book for a classroom or a preschool that has students from Thailand. This book is also educational for all students. This children’s book is about a sleepy baby and how a mother hushes everything making noises that might wake the baby. It is a book with Thai inspired illustrations and it also has a rhyme/ poem feel to the writing since it can be used as a lullaby. This humorous book will be enjoyable for parents and children to read.

[Carolina Combetta · Rating 5 out of 5]

The rhyming in the this lullaby book is so sweet and very easy to follow. This book is about a mother who tries to quiet all the animals who come near her sleeping child. When all the animals finally quiet down, the mother falls asleep while her child wakes up. The illustrations in this book are so beautiful and it is easy to see why it earned the Caldecott Honor (1997).

This book would be great to read to very young children- maybe ages 3 to 6.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

The kids & I have started our “Caldecott medal” reading challenge with the goal to read all the Caldecott honor and medal winning books since it was first bestowed in 1944. This delightful picture book has been our first favorite so far! Charming & repetitive rhyming with fun animals, a silly baby, and a sushing Mama all add up for a fun read!

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this Thai lullaby book, a mother hushes all the surrounding animals so her baby can sleep. The poetry is lulling and lyrical. The pictures are warm and cozy. And the cute plot twist at the end will make you smile. It is a fantastic bedtime story which I will definitely be purchasing it for my own collection.

[Darinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute and colorful story about a mother trying to hush the animals (mosquitoes, elephants, pigs, monkeys, and more) so her baby can sleep. This is fun to read with a toddler and make the animal noises aloud.

[Steffani · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is based off of a Thai lullaby, and is fun to read to children because they like to predict what animal will be shown on the next page. It can also spark a great discussion about the similarities and differences between lullabies in different countries.