Merbaby's Lullaby

by Jane Yolen, Elizabeth O. Dulemba (Illustrations)

From New York Times bestselling author Jane Yolen comes a lilting lullaby from the bottom of the sea.

Hush, foam rocker,
sleep, wave breaker.
Close your eyes and dream,
tide breaker.

A hush-filled bedtime rhyme for parents to share with their newborns, Merbaby’s Lullaby is an underwater cradlesong written by Jane Yolen and illustrated by Elizabeth O. Dulemba. Join a mermaid as she helps her merbaby to sleep, rocking with the gentle waves, singing with the whispering whales, and settling in with sea stars lighting the way to sweet dreams.

Genres: Picture Books, Mermaids, Childrens, Fantasy

24 pages, Board Book

First published June 25, 2019

About the author

Jane Yolen was a novelist, poet, fantasist, journalist, songwriter, storyteller, folklorist, and children’s book author who wrote more than three hundred books. Her accolades include the Caldecott Medal, two Nebula Awards, the World Fantasy Award, three Mythopoeic Awards, the Kerlan Award, two Christopher Awards, and six honorary doctorate degrees from colleges and universities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Born and raised in New York City, the mother of three and the grandmother of six, Yolen lived in Massachusetts and St. Andrews, Scotland.

Reviews

[Kathryn]

3.5 STARS. A pleasant bedtime read for mermaid-loving toddlers but not destined to become a favorite for me. The text feels a bit awkward at times, but I do appreciate the illustrations especially showing mermaids that aren't too princess-perfect but have a bit of wild sweetness about them.

[La Coccinelle]

This bedtime board book for toddlers left me a little underwhelmed. Don't get me wrong... the pictures are lovely! But the rhyming text leaves something to be desired. It's not bad; it's just very simple and very poetic... so poetic, in fact, that I question whether toddlers will be able to really understand it.

However, given that it's a book obviously intended for bedtime reading, perhaps it doesn't really matter if it's understandable by little kids. They'll probably take a look at the adorable pictures and enjoy seeing the little merbaby in their environment, getting ready for bed in their home under the waves. The illustrations are really where this book's strength lies. The merbaby swims through the ocean and sees all their friends: an octopus, starfish, stingrays, whales, crabs, and plenty of fish. The colours are nice and bright (but not too bright), and the gender-neutral merbaby and universal story (everyone has to go to bed... even merbabies!) make this book a good choice for all youngsters.

I guess I just find it difficult to get excited about board books. Usually, there's not enough text/story for me. In this case, the amount of words is okay; I just question the highly poetic nature of them. I mean, I'm an adult and I'm still puzzling a little over "foam rocker" (especially given that the accompanying illustration is of a dolphin blowing bubble rings for the merbaby).

[Kristen]

7/4/2023 - My daughter enjoyed this book, but the phrasing was a bit awkward in places.

[Chinook]

Though both girls are a bit too old for this one, it was such a sweet read with lovely illustrations.

[Jesse]

Berry loved this one.

[Olivia]

Find my full review here: http://www.yabookscentral.com/kidsfic...

MERBABY’S LULLABY is an elegant and sweet poem, perfect for a bedtime book. As waves rock, whales sing, and starfish glow, the merbaby is led gently to sweet slumber. With gorgeous illustrations in muted colors, little ones will love looking at the detailed images before bed. The rhyme is perfectly paced for the youngest readers with relatively few words per page, making the pages turn quickly.

What I loved: The illustrations in this book are beyond beautiful. The muted colors and gorgeous sea creatures combined with the lovely mermaid and her merbaby make for a fantastic visual journey, ideal for a bedtime book. Each page conveys the section of the rhyme perfectly, and little ones will enjoy the quickly turning pages. The poem is also lovely and begs to be sung to little ones as it has a great rhythm that pleases little ears.

Final verdict: A new favorite bedtime book, this stunning poem and illustrations are sure to please the youngest readers. This book would be ideal for infants through young toddlers who will enjoy the rhyming phrases, lovely images, and swiftly turning pages.

[SBC]

5 stars for the beautiful pictures, which I loved. I just didn't feel the words worked well with the pictures, or as a lullaby. It felt like the words had a quick rhythm with lots of hard sounds, and the baby is very active in the first 70% of the illustrations which didn't match with the imperatives to hush, sleep, nap, etc. So the words didn't work for me, but loved the pictures.

[Alicia]

This is a sweet soft lullaby book with playful illustrations. Very peaceful.

For: readers looking for an alternative bedtime book.

Possible red flags: some readers may feel the book is too slow in pace--they may want something more exciting.

[Hana aka the Mermaid Librarian]

Poetic book about a mermaid putting her sleepy (gender-neutral) child to bed in the ocean, with lovely pastel/watercolor illustrations depicting peaceful coexistence with other sea dwellers. Suitable for birth to pre-K.

[Asho]

This is a sweet and gentle book, very lullaby-like, as the title suggests. We checked out several mermaid-themed books from the library at once and this wasn't F's favorite, but she likes all-things mermaid so she was happy with it.

[Kelly]

Makes a great quiet board book with beautiful illustrations not often seen in a board book. Mostly one line of text per every two-page spread.

[Samantha Mairson-Dougherty]

Gorgeous cover. Was a disappointment though! The rhythm of the lullaby was hard to hook onto and the page to page story was flat.

[Miss Sarah]

a sweet and calming book a mermaby getting ready for bed. Toddler and up

[Laurie]

Weird poem. Maybe good if your girl loves mermaids.

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams]

Beautiful pictures that remind us of the secure love of a mother and her baby.

[Jess]

While the illustrations were beautiful, the rhythm of the text seemed off.

[Jbondandrews]

An extremely sweet book!

[Priyanka]

Absolutely gorgeous illustrations.

[Cheryl]

How does one read this as a lullaby to a little one? Neither my adult son or I could find any rhythm or melody, it just sounds imperative and odd. The pictures are pretty enough though.

[Madison]

7/4/2023 - I loved the pictures of the merbaby and octopus!

[Miranda]

So sweet! I want to memorize the words.

Isaac's visual interest 👀 (3 is top): untested 

How good it is as a book for me to read aloud while breastfeeding 🍼 (3 is top): 🍼🍼🍼

[Annie MacPherson]

Nice illustrations!

[Andrés]

Unusual word combos and concepts immerse the reader in the under-the-sea world. The text can be sung to the tune of "hush little baby," and the spongy illustrations are soft and gentle.

[Jessica]

I really enjoyed this lullaby. Beautifully detailed illustrations. Flowing rhymes. A great underwater, peaceful song.

[Kristen]

The art for this board book for the littles is so stunning! Love love love!

[Jessica DeWitt]

This book looks promising, like a calm embrace, but then it doesn't deliver. The pros are clunky and uninspiring. No one in our household could get into it at all.

[Meredith]

A mermother lulls her merchild to sleep.

The color palette is lovely and calm.