Daddy's Lullaby [Hardcover]

Tony Bradman (Author), Jason Cockcroft (Illustrator)

Book Description

Daddy has come home from work to a quietly sleeping house -- but not everyone is asleep! The youngest member of the family is wide awake. So Daddy and baby take a nighttime stroll through the darkened house....

A beautifully lyrical picture book with stunning illustrations, Daddy's Lullaby is perfect for fathers and babies everywhere.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

reSchool-After a long week of work, a father returns home Friday evening to his sleeping family. He lets the cat into the house and the two have some milk before heading upstairs. The youngest family member is awake and the attentive father cuddles and comforts his baby, talking to the infant as he checks in on his sleeping son and his wife. Tiptoeing downstairs, he relaxes in a chair and sings a song (to the tune of "Rock-a-bye Baby") to his baby, lulling them both to sleep. ("Daddy will love you and sing you to sleep-.") This slice of life is simply told and depicted in softly rendered, realistic paintings across spreads that capture the quiet of a sleeping household and a father's tenderness. Night-sky endpapers with golden stars set the stage for the evening's interaction. Libraries will want to add this lovely title to their collections.
Helen Foster James, University of California at San Diego
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 2-4. A father comes home from work late at night to find everyone in house asleep except the cat and the baby. Holding the baby in his arms, he quietly makes his way around the house, trying to lull his youngest child to sleep. Finally, the rest of the family wakes to find the father and the baby sacked out together in the living room chair. Cockcroft's realistic illustrations, rendered in soft watercolors, effectively capture the stillness and shadows of a house late at night. He's particularly good at showing facial expressions, and his black-and-white cat seems ready to jump off the page. This is a British import, yet there are few things in the pictures or text that give its origin away. The simple story may resonate most with adults, but it effectively conveys a peaceful family moment that children will recognize, too. Todd Morning
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books; 1 edition (May 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689842953
• ISBN-13: 978-0689842955
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 9.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,137,739 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A gentle tale and perfect for bedtime reading, June 8, 2002

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Daddy's Lullaby (Hardcover)

Gently written by Tony Bradman, Daddy's Lullaby is a truly beautiful picturebook story of a father who comes home to a sleeping house - except for the youngest member of the family. So he takes the baby in his arms in a stroll about their home. Warm, touching, and featuring soft, impressionistic full-color artwork by Jason Cockcroft, Daddy's Lullaby is a gentle tale and perfect for bedtime reading to very young children.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and sweet!, December 30, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Daddy's Lullaby (Hardcover)

This is a sweet story about a father who comes home late after a long week and finds his youngest baby awake. He walks the baby around the house to check on the other family members and sings them both asleep with a lullaby. It's a nice story and the pictures are realistic and beautiful. I did hesitate to buy it based on the review that mentioned the gender sterotypes but am glad I did. I honestly don't get the fuss...except for dad coming home late (and the suggestion is he's been working), there's nothing else there that suggests any other family roles. It doesn't say whether or not mom works. Also, it shows that dad is involved in his kid's care. I guess if your a stay-at-home dad this doesn't fit you, but I don't think it's offensive either!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and touching, May 24, 2004

By 

P. Davis "busy parent" (Caledonia, MS United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Daddy's Lullaby (Hardcover)

This book really touched my heart. I don't agree with the reviewer that said it reinforces stereotypes - if it does, then I guess my family is a stereotype because the book fit our family perfectly! My husband often comes home very late to find us all sleeping. The illustrations are beautiful and the story is very sweet.