Jumbo's Lullaby [Hardcover]

Laura Krauss Melmed (Author), Henri Sorensen (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 29, 1999 | Age Level: 2 and up

"Zebras sleeping in the shadows
where they're safely out of sight
dream themselves in gorgeous colors --
anythingbut black and white.

Shusha, shusha, little Jumbo,
will you ever sleep tonight?"

Through the magic of an African night, Mother Elephant sings her restless baby to sleep, imagining in her song the dreams of ostriches, monkeys, rhinos, zebras, and others. Filled with whimsy and tenderness, this is a lullaby that will be memorized and cherished for years to come.

00 Children's Choices (IRA/CBC)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Melmed and Sorensen, previously paired for I Love You as Much, travel to Africa for this verse invitation to sleep. A mother elephant attempts to lull her little one to slumber by describing the other animals' dreams. From yawning ostriches and "lion cubs curled with their mother" to gazelles "settled on a stretch of mossy ground," Melmed ticks off a leisurely list of animals, punctuated with variations on the refrain "Shusha, shusha, little Jumbo." At first realistic, Melmed's images soon launch into flights of fancy: the dreams of lion cubs "turning into tawny hunters/ stalking through the rippling grass" follows with "great gorillas dream they're dancing/ where the blue bananas grow" and zebras "dream themselves in gorgeous colors/ anything but black and white." Sorensen dips his brush in the quieter shades of the SerengetiAmisty gray-blues, ochre, moss greenAfor realistic, nuanced animal portraits that reinforce the underlying theme of mother love. On each facing page, he then embroiders on the text's fantastical elements with scenes of gorillas dancing among discarded blue banana peels sporting flowers behind their ears and zebras with electric combinations of green-and-red or yellow-and-blue stripes. This is bedtime fare with an exotic flair. Ages 2-up. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3 This lullaby is a wonderful treat for the eyes and ears. Fanciful oil paintings blend with the author's poetic language to convey the love of a mother elephant for her baby, Jumbo, as she tries to lull him to sleep. Other animals of the African savanna such as "Auntie Ostrich" and "Uncle Rhino" are shown in realistic depictions on the versos opposite whimsical portraits of the creatures as they imagine themselves to be in their dreams. "Zebras sleeping in the shadows,/where they're safely out of sight,/dream themselves in gorgeous colors /anything but black and white." The peaceful, hypnotic phrase, "Shusha, shusha, little Jumbo," is repeated throughout. This sure-to-please story is as soft and soothing as a gentle breeze. JoAnn Jonas, New York Public Library
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 2 and up
  
• Hardcover: 24 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (September 29, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688165508
• ISBN-13: 978-0688165505
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 9.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,623,498 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Childrens Book for Bedtime, November 14, 2002

By 

Brian M. Smith "cesmith" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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

This is an excellent bedtime book to read to a young child. We started reading it to our daughter when she was first born. Now at age 16 months, it is her favorite book.

The pictures are vibrant and sweet. But my favorite part of the book is the cadance of the text....it just flows off the tongue and thus is a joy to read. We have basically memorized it from reading it so much. So now we can recant it to our daughter even when we don't have the book. This is a great benefit when travelling, since the familiar words lull our daughter to sleep.

Can't recommend it highly enough!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My 2-year old's favorite, May 5, 2000

By A Customer

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

This is my two-year old's very favorite book. The illustrations are beautiful and the story is very creative. The author tells of the dreams of various animals. A hippo dreams of being a butterfly. Zebras dream of being painted in bright colors. I definitely recommend it, especially for animal-loving children.

5.0 out of 5 stars vividly imaginative and lilting bedtime story, August 22, 2010

By 

mootgirl - See all my reviews

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

This is a beautifully illustrated and written lullaby as told to baby jumbo, the elephant by his mama. It's shows a variety of savanna animals drifting off to sleep and having wonderful, vivid dreams. I've had this book for several years, and just picked up a copy for a good friend's new baby. The flow of the words fall into a natural, soothing rhythm just right to help ease your child into sleep, and the artwork is makes the verses come to life.