Ocean Lullaby

by Laura McGee Kvasnosky, Kate Harvey McGee (Illustrations)

A soft and soothing good night journey through an ocean filled with sleepy sea creatures, perfect for bedtime in the summer or year-round.

The sun is setting. The waves are gently lapping at the shore. It's time for all the ocean creatures to rest. Whales, turtles, dolphins, and more drift and doze. And as the tide pools catch the light of the moon and the stars glowing above, a mother and her baby listen to the soft sounds of the ocean lullaby . . .

Shhh, hush. Shhh, hush. The ocean's soothing song. Shhh, hush. Shhh, hush. We can sing along.

Praise for Ocean Lullaby :

"A delightful winding-down story after a busy day at the beach—or anywhere." -- Kirkus Reviews

"This dreamy paean to the ocean’s mesmerizing influence [is] guaranteed to soothe little ones at bedtime." -- Booklist

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Nature, Animals, Storytime, Poetry

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2021

About the author

Laura McGee Kvasnosky is the author-illustrator of many books for young readers, including the series Zelda & Ivy. She lives in Seattle.

Reviews

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was transported to Hawaii while reading this book. Maybe we will get to experience it with Audrey one of these days!!

[Riley]

Really good book for bilingual kids or students learning another language! I read this for a teaching assignment.

[pawsreadrepeat · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun bilingual book with gorgeous illustrations that bring the story to life. This is the story of how the ocean prepares to sleep.

[Kaleo Mason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second read, it’s okay but the illustrations are beautiful

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed trying to practice my Spanish with this book! I think this is probably a great one for teaching multi languages and it’s probably more beautiful in Spanish than English honestly. This was sent to us by the Dolly Parton Imagination Library for the June 2024 book. Overall, I would give it 4/5 ⭐️ for the story and 5/5 ⭐️ for illustration. Age appropriate for 2-6 or those learning English or Spanish for the first time.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very pretty illustrations capture ocean life and a family enjoying the seaside. In each picture, see if you can catch a glimpse of the next picture. For example, if there is a whale offshore, you may join that whale on the next page! Soothing ocean sounds lull your child into a sleepy, calm state of mind with onomatopoeia words. Interestingly, the author and illustrator are sisters.

[Roben · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mother sings an ocean lullaby to her baby at the beach. The illustrations of the different marine animals was great. And the story was soothing. I just found the rhyming a bit awkward along with the Shh - hush. I know that is a bit like how the ocean sounds. Maybe if I heard the author read it out loud, I would appreciate it more.

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The illustrations in this book are so calming and gorgeous. The text is soothing and I love the imitation of the sound of the waves ("Shhh, hush. Shhh, hush."); when reading these words aloud, they really sound like the sound the ocean makes. This makes it a very soothing read aloud, especially for bedtime.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short but sweet. The illustrations are peaceful and calming. This would be a great bedtime book for a younger crowd of beach lovers.

Note: My edition is a bilingual one received through the Imagination Library program. I did not even try to read (more like butcher) the Spanish, but I'm sure this would be lovely in that language.

[Sarah Brooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was from the Imagination Library. Probably not something I would have picked up myself. It is dual language and that’s kinda neat. It has a calming but somewhat hard to say repeated phrase in the book.

[Adam Porter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Repetitive enough that Rosie could repeat parts of it halfway through the first read but not all the normal cliche animals. A lot of the words in Spanish i do not know yet but helps just trying to pronounce them

[Kaitlyn (ktxx22) Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shhhh…. Hush….. Shhhhhh. I mean if that doesn’t embody the sound of waves from the ocean. My copy is a bilingual copy as well and I loved the translations and where they were placed made for a very fun bedtime reading experience.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was so soothing and relaxing, as soon as I turned the last page I wanted to tuck myself into bed, close my eyes and pretend that I was being lulled to sleep by the ocean's beautiful lullaby. Ahh...

[Cherish Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4☆ Would recommend)
I really enjoyed this book. It is a great book for learning. It has repetition, onomatopoeia, & rhyme, which are all fantastic for learning. The dual language in the book is such a great idea!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's no real plot to this book, but we get to see lots of ocean animals and the text is very calming. This is a nice bedtime story. Kids in a group story time might enjoy repeating the "Shh, hush" refrain of the ocean.

[Sara Blankenship · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book in the mail the other day for my kids and thought it was pretty neat. Not only does it have words in English but it also has it in Spanish! The kids and I enjoyed trying to learn the words.

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

When reading this book, I recommend going slowly. Maybe even have some ocean sounds ready to play during or after your reading. Good to add to an ocean unit or to get ready for a trip to the beach to help children become more aware of the sounds they hear at the ocean.

[Laura DeGrave · Rating 4 out of 5]

A soothing rhythm of words like song to read a young child to sleep.
Nice ocean scenery depictions by the artist.
Repetitive words of "shhh, hush" sounds out the notes of rolling tides.
The bilingual translation is in Spanish.
A fine example of a bedtime story to ease into sleep.

[Kathryn Judson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the better children's books that I've stumbled upon recently, thanks to a local thrift store (yay, thrift stores). It's simple, sweet, and well-illustrated.

Each picture has text in English and text in Spanish to go along with it.

Solidly four stars.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Trisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this lullaby. It was soothing to read. The illustrations were impressionistic. I was singing along with the words. I almost read it again right after (maybe your child will ask you too :D )

[Pinky · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sleepy ocean lullaby full of whales, turtles, and jellyfish.

[Jacqui · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice illustrations

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the gentle whooshing of this lullaby; a nice introduction to learning about sea life.

[Maison Durr · Rating 5 out of 5]

This lullaby book has a soft flow throughout. Ocean Lullaby is being considered for the NCTE award.

[Dina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library for this addition to our collection.

[Whitney Hamilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations of the beach and ocean animals.

[Jordan Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was cute. It really is a nighttime lullaby for kids. My kids enjoyed it even with my terrible singing. That artwork was very nice.

[Danette · Rating 3 out of 5]

1/11/23 Read with Andres

[Cara Byrne · Rating 3 out of 5]

With soothing sounds and gentle images of ocean creatures, this is a quintessential bedtime read. An Imagination Library book for three-year olds.