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Nighttime Symphony
The sounds of the city at night create a lively lullaby in this melodious bedtime story from superstar producer and musician Timbaland, Caldecott Honor–winning illustrator Christopher Myers, and Kaa Illustration!
hey there, darling baby child,
you’re safe in here though the storm is wild
the streetlights glow through dark so deep
but safe in sound you’ll go to sleep
As a little boy gets ready for bed, the sounds of a wild storm echo around him, lulling him to sleep. From the crash of thunder to the pitter-patter of raindrops to the beat of passing cars, the music of the city creates a cozy bedtime soundtrack.
hey there, darling baby child,
you’re safe in here though the storm is wild
the streetlights glow through dark so deep
but safe in sound you’ll go to sleep
As a little boy gets ready for bed, the sounds of a wild storm echo around him, lulling him to sleep. From the crash of thunder to the pitter-patter of raindrops to the beat of passing cars, the music of the city creates a cozy bedtime soundtrack.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published October 12, 2010
3 people are currently reading
165 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
July 18, 2019
This is the story of a boy afraid of a thunderstorm and his dad's reassurance that he will be safe. It was not a favorite with my young readers.
April 30, 2020
The whole world becomes music for a young boy as he prepares to go to sleep, at night — raindrops tap a steady beat, trees dance, radios sing, the wind howls, while umbrellas become turntables that DJs can spin. The entire musical symphony takes place at nighttime. And when morning breaks, they discover the storm was just a lullaby. This one is perfect for reading at bedtime, for obvious reasons. The illustrations for this book were digitally rendered.
For more children's literature, middle grade literature, and YA literature reviews, feel free to visit my personal blog at The Miller Memo!
For more children's literature, middle grade literature, and YA literature reviews, feel free to visit my personal blog at The Miller Memo!
February 21, 2019
Great illustrations. The poem of text is a song.
February 3, 2021
A beautiful bedtime lullaby about the sounds of night in beautiful poetry and illustrations;
April 18, 2021
Read on Libby
It has a great illustration. The lyrics or the text is beautiful. It is a heartwarming book, yet i don't feel a thing. So so. 😂
It has a great illustration. The lyrics or the text is beautiful. It is a heartwarming book, yet i don't feel a thing. So so. 😂
June 3, 2019
The little boy is not told he will be "safe AND sound" from the nighttime thunderstorm, he is told he will be "safe IN sound."
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January 9, 2019The tap-dance icon Gregory Hines once made a movie, Tap, about taking the sounds of the world around you -- the creaks of the house, the noise of the wind, the traffic on the street -- and making music of it. Timbaland steps into that groove and charms a lullabye out of it.
November 12, 2019
Beautiful illustrations work with the text to tell the story of a storm at night.
March 24, 2022
@ is knooooocccckked out in my bed lmao. 🌠🌙✨
August 10, 2019
I'm still crying. Why wasn't I exposed to poetry like this when I was a kid? :)
This is an incredible children's book with stunning illustrations that highlight the beautiful poetry.
Timerland never lets you down whether in the studio or on the page. He takes all the sounds of the urban jungle and transforms it into a soothing lullaby for your child. Bright, large illustrations enhance the writing that will keep not only your little one entertained, but also yourself. This book takes the crazy and chaotic and transforms them into the sublime and eternal.
Yes the protagonist is a Black youth with a Black adult tucking him in. This . . . means. . . a . . . lot whether you know it or not. For children of ANY BACKGROUND or CULTURE to see this MEANS A LOT.
Politics aside this book is meaningful, well-written and fantastically illustrated.
I HIGHLY recommend this for any classroom or children's library.
#childrenspoetry #bedtime #Blackliterature #musicandliterature #lullabies #storms
This is an incredible children's book with stunning illustrations that highlight the beautiful poetry.
Timerland never lets you down whether in the studio or on the page. He takes all the sounds of the urban jungle and transforms it into a soothing lullaby for your child. Bright, large illustrations enhance the writing that will keep not only your little one entertained, but also yourself. This book takes the crazy and chaotic and transforms them into the sublime and eternal.
Yes the protagonist is a Black youth with a Black adult tucking him in. This . . . means. . . a . . . lot whether you know it or not. For children of ANY BACKGROUND or CULTURE to see this MEANS A LOT.
Politics aside this book is meaningful, well-written and fantastically illustrated.
I HIGHLY recommend this for any classroom or children's library.
#childrenspoetry #bedtime #Blackliterature #musicandliterature #lullabies #storms
April 16, 2020
I have to admit, I looked at this book way too quickly. I thought it was the biography of rap artist Timberland, illustrated by Chris Myers. It kept throughing me, because the setting was in a metropolitan environment. While Timberland is an urban artist, he grew up in the Tidewater of Virginia, an area composed of townhouses and single family homes. Some areas of the Tidewater is extremely urban due to the existence of social issues such as gang activity, gun violence, poverty, drug traffking, etc., but the setting shown in the book didn't click. That's when I realized this was the beautiful story of a little boy getting ready for bed with the help of his dad and the rrythmic patterns of the world around him serves as the lalluby that sooves and puts him to sleep.
March 23, 2020
This was my second read through of this book. I'm glad I brought it home with me in the midst of all this social distancing, because I am finding myself giving it a higher rating than I would have initially given it.
Music and rhythm can be found anywhere and in this case, it can be found in the city during a storm. The lightning and thunder, the water rushing down the gutters and in the roadways. It's a great look into city life than some readers have never experienced.
Christopher Myers is the illustrator and his credibility helps Timbaland's offering fare well. As you all know, I can struggle with celebrity written books ;)
Music and rhythm can be found anywhere and in this case, it can be found in the city during a storm. The lightning and thunder, the water rushing down the gutters and in the roadways. It's a great look into city life than some readers have never experienced.
Christopher Myers is the illustrator and his credibility helps Timbaland's offering fare well. As you all know, I can struggle with celebrity written books ;)
July 1, 2019
A good book for storytimes about rain, sleep, or rhyming. This book has large pictures with rich colors that make it perfect for sharing at a storytime. It could work for toddler time as well, but it is a little long. There are good places for movement and participation. This book features a black dad and son, so it can be used to make sure everyone feels welcome at storytime. It does feature angels but there is nothing specifically religious about the text.
November 19, 2019
I like the sweet way this soothes a child during a storm. That's definitely a theme with which any parent and child will relate. The illustrations are vibrant and beautiful. They depict night as alive and aglow in a way that's warm and soothing. There are places where the rhythm of the text made me halt that took away from the reading experience for me. I would love to hear Timbaland read this aloud to hear what it sounds like to him. In general, this is a comforting bedtime story.
February 10, 2019
The illustrations are luminous and breathtaking. The text is less so. And although it's deliberate and makes sense once one turns the page "Sleep safe in sound" jumps off the page as a huge grammatical error and literally stopped my reading. Re-arranging the text so that the reader recognizes the deliberateness of this phrase immediately would be a huge, huge help.
July 21, 2019
With an intense summer storm brewing, a child looks out into the nighttime sky full of worry. A father calms the child with soothing words, assuring them that they’ll be “safe in sound“.
“don’t fear the raging storm so strong—
we’ll remix the raging into a song ....
you’re the dj to spin
your sweet self to bed.”
“don’t fear the raging storm so strong—
we’ll remix the raging into a song ....
you’re the dj to spin
your sweet self to bed.”
February 17, 2020
We have a few very musically gifted people in our family and they love this little children's book. You can almost hear the rhythm of the rain as the father helps his son find comfort in the sounds of the rain, lightning, and wind blowing. Not only is it a sweet story, the illustrations by Christopher Myers are beautiful!
June 16, 2020
Fiction Poetry Picture Book
Grades K-3
I absolutely loved this story, it is one of my favorites. It's truly is a grate story with a poem like text and a smooth musical rhythm lullaby sound. It is about a little black boy and his father, he child is afraid of the bad storm outside of his bedroom window, and his father comforts him by reassuring that everything will be alright.
Grades K-3
I absolutely loved this story, it is one of my favorites. It's truly is a grate story with a poem like text and a smooth musical rhythm lullaby sound. It is about a little black boy and his father, he child is afraid of the bad storm outside of his bedroom window, and his father comforts him by reassuring that everything will be alright.
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August 16, 2020this would be great for musical exploration! "How do you think the rhythm of the rain sounds" - I can see this book in the learning environment with musical instruments where youth can create their own sounds of rain. This would be a cool one to read on a rainy/stormy day to see what sounds can be recognized and what music is being made!
May 23, 2019
A very cute picture book about the sounds of nighttime in a city. Absolutely amazing illustrations! This would be a good bedtime story for pre-K to 1st grade. A tiny grip - none of the sentences start with a capital letter.
June 6, 2019
A sweet rhyming lullaby told to a child as he tries to sleep during a storm. The writer puts the storm, and its sounds into musical rhythm to ease the harshness of what is actually happening outside, and reassure the child that he is safe on the inside.
September 16, 2019
This rhyming story contains the most beautiful words and images. Not all of the book rhymes smoothly but overall it is a lovely concept. It would make a great read-aloud for younger children. Highly recommended for Grades K-2.
September 22, 2019
“... the storm was just a lullaby.”
A little boy is afraid of the storm, but his father draws attention to the musical beauty of raindrops on the window and “trees waving arms up in the air” like they are dancing. Soon he falls asleep and awakens to a new, bright day.
A little boy is afraid of the storm, but his father draws attention to the musical beauty of raindrops on the window and “trees waving arms up in the air” like they are dancing. Soon he falls asleep and awakens to a new, bright day.
December 26, 2019
Explore the sights and sound of a nighttime storm by reading Nighttime Symphony by Timbaland, with Christopher Myers and Kaa Illustrations. Children ages 4 - 9 will imagine the world outside their windows while enjoying the brightly colored illustrations agains a nighttime background.
April 17, 2021
Poetry k-1st
This book has a very satisfying rhyme scheme. The story is easy to read for most ages, the pictures are just as satisfying and relevant as the rhyme. The appreciation for music and nature’s music are great in my opinion.
This book has a very satisfying rhyme scheme. The story is easy to read for most ages, the pictures are just as satisfying and relevant as the rhyme. The appreciation for music and nature’s music are great in my opinion.
February 2, 2023
This sweet picture book is about a father reassuring his son during a thunderstorm that they are viewing from their urban apartment. The text is poetic, but doesn't always flow just right. The illustrations are wonderful, and are full of great details that are specific to the city setting.
January 9, 2019
Lyrically beautiful & actually gorgeous. I loved that I could not only see what I was being told, but hear the sounds that were being described. I can't wait to gift this to everyone.
May 17, 2019
Soothing city lullaby - love the illustrations and the words.
May 20, 2019
Beautiful!!
May 23, 2019
The play with words was really well done & introduced to children some words that are not normally used with young ones. Imaginative use of words & illustrations to ease any fear of storms.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews