Lullaby Raft

by Naomi Shihab Nye, Vivienne Flesher (Illustrator)

In a a wonderous bedtime tale for young children, a little child, a chicken, a lizard, and a turtle say good-night to their quiet town and begin their adventure in the world of dreams on the lullaby raft.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Poetry

32 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Naomi Shihab Nye was born to a Palestinian father and an American mother. During her high school years, she lived in Ramallah in Jordan, the Old City in Jerusalem, and San Antonio, Texas, where she later received her B.A. in English and world religions from Trinity University. She is a novelist, poet and songwriter.

She currently lives in San Antonio, Texas. She was elected a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets in 2010.

Reviews

[Mir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vivienne Flesher's illustrations are lovely and deserve more than three stars, but the text didn't do a lot for me (probably it's better sung) and I didn't find the book as a whole very memorable. Er, that sounds more negative than I mean it to. I was never a fan of "bedtime books" even as a small child. I liked more story. And I didn't quite... get...the lyrics as a lullaby. They didn't seem soothing. But maybe the melody is. Probably this is a taste issue. I see lots of people and their kids love this.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite children's book is a treasure I happened upon at a yard sale. It is beautiful poem rather than a story. When I read this with my son it feels like we are sharing a piece of art. My favorite lines tug at my heart and bring tears to my eyes. "My mother sings me a lullaby all my own. And I dream of her hands. And the years I'll live alone. My mother sings me a lullaby all my own.". The nights we've cuddled reading this together are some of the most priceless moments I've had as a mom.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son and I recently discovered some "lullaby books" in the library, and this is a very sweet one. What's really cool about these books is that they are written to be sung, and they include the musical "score" that goes along with the "lyrics." I think I liked the tune to this book more than anything else, but the words and illustrations are soft and sweet, too.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not at all familiar with the song this book illustrates, but I found words confusing and pointless, there's no story line. And the illustrations were all fuzzy and hard to see. I'm not a fan.

[Ch_jank-caporale · Rating 3 out of 5]

The words and the pictures lull readers into a cocoon of peacefulness, ready to sleep. It took me several readings to appreciate the irregular rhythms of this illustrated poem. When the text is spread over pages, it's harder to recognize the patterns of syllables that define poetry, even in the absence of definable form. But with practice, I came to like this book more and more and wish I had a child to snuggle next to, so I could read them to sleep with it.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful poetry and art.