Nine O'Clock Lullaby [Paperback]

Marilyn Singer (Author), Frane Lessac (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

When it′s 9 P.M. in Brooklyn, it′s 10 P.M. in Puerto Rico, and midnight on the mid-atlantic. Far from the vroom of New York traffic, the Puerto Rican night is filled with conga music, sweet rice, and fruit ice. In India, villagers begin their morning chores as well ropes squeak, buckets splash, and bracelets jangle. Meanwhile, in Australia, a sly kookaburra is ready for a noontime feast.

Marilyn Singer′s rhythmic lullaby, with bright illustrations by Franc. Lessac, gently transports children through different time zones and distant lands. Young readers will travel far from home, then back again, on a glorious bedtime journey.

Ages 5+

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A series of bright vignettes provides an ingenious response to children's curiosity about what youngsters in other parts of the world are doing while they themselves are going to bed. Armchair travelers can espy their counterparts dancing at a late-night party in Puerto Rico, raiding the pantry in the wee hours in London, dreaming by the Congo and drawing water from the village well at dawn in India. By the book's end, the scenarios come full circle to 9 p.m., "sleepytime" in Brooklyn, N.Y. Enhanced by Lessac's ( Caribbean Canvas ) primitive paintings, Singer's ( Turtle in July ) text ably suits the various locales--a bicycling aunt in China "pedals quickly, flying like a dragon"; a serene Japanese grandfather "floats a tulip so the fish can greet the spring." Though simple in concept, text and design, the book works on several levels--as a primer on time and the time zones, as an introduction to foreign cultures and as a rhythmic, pleasing lullaby. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-- Beginning (and ending) in Brooklyn at bedtime, this picture book jumps a step east around the world, where the same moment becomes a different hour in 15 different time zones. Singer's brief narrative contains cultural and auditory cues, humor, and some interesting connections. Lessac's paintings are lively and detailed, in her familiar naive style. It would be hard to imagine her work without its vibrant colors, but here they work against the grain. Uniformly gay pages and flat light sacrifice part of the sense-experience of difference. Although half the book occurs at dusk or night, when "all cats are gray," Lessac's glowing palette remains constant. Switzerland and Zaire at 3 a.m. are just as colorfully bright as Sydney at noon. Nor are the essential props, a globe and clock, incorporated into the work. In any case, the concept of time zones may be beyond the grasp of the intended audience. What this title does convey is the connectedness of the inhabitants of our global village. --Patricia Dooley, University of Washington, Seattle
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (May 30, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064433196
• ISBN-13: 978-0064433198
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 9.7 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #393,848 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Marilyn Singer was born in the Bronx (New York City) on October 3, 1948 and lived most of her early life in N. Massapequa (Long Island), NY. She attended Queens College, City University of New York, and for her junior year, Reading University, England. She holds a B.A. in English from Queens and an M.A. in Communications from New York University.

In 1974, after teaching English in New York City high schools for several years, she began to write - initially film notes, catalogues, teacher's guides, and film strips. Then, one day, when she was sitting in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, she penned a story featuring talking insect characters she'd made up when she was eight. Encouraged by the responses she got, she wrote more stories, and in 1976, her first book, The Dog Who Insisted He Wasn't, was published by E.P.Dutton & Co.

Since then, Marilyn has published over eighty books for children and young adults. Her genres are many and varied, including realistic novels, fantasies, non-fiction, fairy tales, picture books, mysteries and poetry. She likes writing many different kinds of books because it's challenging and it keeps her from getting bored.

Marilyn currently lives in Brooklyn, NY, with her husband Steve; their standard poodle Oggi, seen in the home page photo; a cat named August ; two collared doves named Jubilee and Holiday; and a starling that says, "Hi. How are you? Sweet Birdie. Okay!" Her interests include ballroom/Latin dancing, dog training, reading, hiking, bird-watching, gardening, playing computer adventure games, and going to the movies and the theatre. She's also a major Star Trek fan.

Marilyn is the former host of the AOL Children's Writers Chat and currently co-hosts the Poetry Blast at various conferences. Visit her web site: www.marilynsinger.net.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars what is happening around the world at various times, July 17, 2002

By 

christinemm - The Thinking Mother (Houston Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Nine O'Clock Lullaby (School & Library Binding)

This is a unique concept: show a flash of what is happening in various countries at different times of the day. We are taken on a journey around the world, at one hour increments to see what is happening. Some of the time frames are strange, like a 2 am snack in the pantry in England!

We see a child getting read a bedtime story in Brooklyn NY USA, partying in Puerto Rico, shopping at market in China, barbeque in Australia, handcrafting in Samoa, etc.

The pictures are cute, with lots going on in the illustrations to talk about. There isn't a real story here, I assume the point is to show various cultures and talk about the detailed illustrations. The only thing that bothers me is the snapshot of what they are doing can be so limiting, for example, having England illustrated as snacking in the middle of the night and Russia being depicted as a cat knocking an item over and waking up the inhabitants of the house. How real is that of a depiction of their society? It is a cute book but doesn't have enough of a true depiction of different countries for the parent to have a discussion with the child.

For a taste of other cultures I prefer "Children Like Me".

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poetry rather than a story, November 7, 2008

By 

M. Grimm "sheliria" (CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Nine O'Clock Lullaby (Paperback)

This books isn't so much a story as a poem about the world and time zones. The pictures are great, and the poem is fun. My kids really love it and have it memorized. Perfect for the littlest kid, this book holds attention with plenty to look at and the words have great rythym to them.