Hush, Little Ones [Hardcover]

John Butler (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 1 and up

Join baby animals from all over the world as they go to sleep at night. Each spread features a tender scene with a mother and her offspring in their natural environments.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As he did in While You Were Sleeping, John Butler deftly portrays animals in their natural setting in Hush, Little Ones. Soft light and lilting rhyme ("Hush, little rabbits,/ don't make a sound./ Sleep tight in your burrow, deep underground") are certain to soothe.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Butler focuses on animal mothers and their babies in their special nighttime places. His acrylic and colored-pencil illustrations are realistic, gentle portrayals of animal life, infused and backlit with the yellow warmth of a waning sun. The "oooh-ahhh" factor is high here, with cute-as-they-come fluffy penguins and bunnies, contented kangaroo joeys, and cuddled-up birds and mice. While the lullaby-style text holds no surprises, with predictable rhyme pairs such as "time to rest/cozy nest" and "bedtime is here/Mother is near," the verse reads smoothly and comfortably. A visually appealing book that is perfectly suited for bedtime reading.
Carol L. MacKay, Camrose Public Library, Alberta, Canada
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 1 and up
  
• Hardcover: 24 pages
• Publisher: Peachtree Pub Ltd (J) (August 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561452971
• ISBN-13: 978-1561452972
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,307,622 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book makes bedtime easy!, August 17, 2006

By 

John S. Cleveland (Ruckersville, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hush, Little Ones (Hardcover)

I have been reading this book to my son at naps/bedtime since he was 8 months. Now, he's a good kid, but he doesn't sit still for EVERY book I try to read to him -- but this one he loves EVERY time. Even if he's fussy, this is the book I pick up first, and he usually settles down right away. If he's really fussy, he settles down by the "Zebra" page, guaranteed. You know that commercial for Staples with the red "easy" button? Well, for bedtime, this book is the "easy" button.

Even before he could understand the story or theme in a book, my son loved the "sing-song" of the text. The review on the back cover says it reads like a "lullaby", and that is a perfect description. Not too many words on a page (so he doesn't get bored), and the word choice and the rhyming make it perfect for bedtime! We rock in our rocker, with a soft lamp nearby, clean after his bath, warm in his pj's, and look at the book with the fuzzy animals in their soft bedtime environments... The pictures are simply beautiful, and John Butler adds a little, sweet, tender "character" to the face of each animal.

I loved this book so much I went out and bought several (3) of John Butler's other books, "Whose Nose and Toes," and others. However, I haven't been able to get my son as interested in them. They are a little more advanced, requiring interaction, memory, identification, etc. I think we will wait 4-5 months (when he's 2 years) before they will be age-appropriate. BUT, this book is perfect for babies and beyond! I will start reading it when our next child is 1 month old, and I am certain it will work!

I HIGHLY recommend this book for any small child. Reading to kids when they are young is ESSENTIAL for future success in school and beyond!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Bedtime Story for Children and Their Parents, October 27, 2004

By 

Erika Sorocco (Southern California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hush, Little Ones (Hardcover)

Day in and day out, baby animals are tucked into bed by their loving parents, and lulled to sleep by the sound of their heartbeats. A penguin curls in tight between his Father's feet, a kangaroo heads off to dreamland in her Mother's pouch, and so on, and so on.

John Butler's HUSH, LITTLE ONES is a delightful bedtime story that will appeal to both young children, and their parents. The prose is delightful, and will tucker a young child out when a parent reads this story to him or her in a soothing voice, while the gorgeous illustrations will quickly bring the story to life. Overall this is a wonderful book to purchase, especially for those looking for a cute bedtime story for their children.

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful for your little one!, November 17, 2003

By 

Karin Lin (Union City, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hush, Little Ones (Hardcover)

This book is just wonderful. I read it to my 9-month-old daughter frequently. The illustrations of the baby animals will evoke an "awwww" in everyone. The ratio of text to picture is good for young children who don't like to look at the same page for too long, and the book is just the right length...long enough for a good cuddle but short enough for young attention spans.