Mother Earth’s Lullaby – Perfect Picture Book Friday

Spread the love

Title: Mother Earth’s Lullaby – A Song for Endangered Animals

Written by: Terry Pierce

Illustrated by: Carol  Heyer

Publisher: Tilbury House Publishers, September 2018

Ages: 4-8

Themes: endangered species, lullaby, baby animals

Opening:

When Mother Earth bids goodnight,
she casts her shafts of silver light.

She says, “Goodnight, my precious ones.”
Nature’s song has just begun.

Synopsis:

Mother Earth’s Lullaby is a gentle bedtime call to some of the world’s most endangered animals. Rhythm, rhyme, and repetition create a quiet moment for children burrowing down in their own beds for the night, imparting a sense that even the most endangered animals feel safe at this peaceful time of day. In successive spreads, a baby giant panda, yellow-footed rock wallaby, California condor, Ariel toucan, American red wolf, Sumatran tiger, polar bear, Javan rhinoceros, Vaquita dolphin, Northern spotted owl, Hawaiian goose, and Key deer are snuggled to sleep by attentive parents in their dens and nests under the moon and stars. (Publisher)

Why I like this book:

Catchy rhyming pairs introduce each animal baby as it is getting ready for bed with simply lyrical language and activity that all young children will relate to. Some animals will be familiar and some won’t – a great balance, and back matter can be delved into for more information. 

Tiger kits rumble-purr,
tucked against their mother’s fur.

Despite their endangered status, all these animals are presented feeling safe with their parents close by, which will be reassuring to young readers as you explore the implications of “endangered” with them.

The illustrations cover the full double-spread and are in deep, rich tones evoking night approaching.

Resources/Activities:

Brief descriptions of each animal appear in the back of the book with a thumbnail illustration.

For the most updated information about endangered species visit- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

First School has a terrific list of pre-school endangered animals activities and crafts.

Each week a group of bloggers reviews picture books we feel would make great educational reads. To help teachers, caregivers and parents, we have included resources and/or activities with each of our reviews. A complete list of the thousands of books we have reviewed can be found sorted alphabetically and by topics, here on Susanna Leonard Hill’s website.

 

This entry was posted in Children's literature, endangered species, Perfect Picture Book Friday and tagged , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

6 Responses to Mother Earth’s Lullaby – Perfect Picture Book Friday

  1. Jilanne Hoffmann says:

    I love that little pup on the cover! Such a different feel from an adult red wolf howling at the moon. Gentle, huggable, and informative. Perfect. Thanks for featuring this book, Joanne!

  2. What a beautiful way to introduce children to nature, sleep patterns, and family. The poetic it perfect for this treasure. Nice book to cuddle with.

  3. Patricia Nozell says:

    What a lovely new picture book! I love that the author focuses on a current problem, but gently wraps the information in a mother’s lullaby.

  4. Joanna says:

    I am always looking for picture books about endangered animals with a different slant. This was a very effective literary technqiue choice for the subject

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. You can also subscribe without commenting.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.