Fishing for a Dream: Ocean Lullabies and Night Verses
Images of sleep and images of the ocean meet in this enchanting picture book. Dreamy oil paintings accompany a selection of lullabies and poems that sing of the sea, boats, water, fishing, and sea creatures. Included are traditional rhymes from many countries, classics by Stevenson, Tennyson, Field, and Kipling, and selections by recent and contemporary poets, certain to give a young sailor a soothing sendoff at bedtime.\ \ \ A collection of lullabies centered on a...
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Images of sleep and images of the ocean meet in this enchanting picture book. Dreamy oil paintings accompany a selection of lullabies and poems that sing of the sea, boats, water, fishing, and sea creatures. Included are traditional rhymes from many countries, classics by Stevenson, Tennyson, Field, and Kipling, and selections by recent and contemporary poets, certain to give a young sailor a soothing soff at bedtime.Publishers WeeklyKiesler's (The Great Frog Race) dreamy acrylic paintings accompany an eclectic collection of soothing poems about the sea. In addition to traditional lullabies from Hawaii, Greece, Ireland and France, Kiesler includes some classic fare: Eugene Fields's "Wynken, Blynken, and Nod," Tennyson's "Sweet and Low" and Robert Louis Stevenson's "My Bed Is a Boat." Especially charming 20th-century additions feature Eve Merriam's onomatopoeic "Lullaby" ("Sh sh what do you wish") and Dahlov Ipcar's delicate "Fishes' Evening Song." The layouts are varied, rhythmically and unobtrusively, while each idyllic painting exudes the evanescent wonder of a nighttime sea. A full-page painting of a mother and child against a seascape of peach-colored clouds is juxtaposed with the spot art of the "herrins in the bay" from the Scottish "Hush Song." In a fantastic vein, a full-spread painting offers a literal interpretation of Merriam's lines about a magical fish that "swims out from the window and down to the river"; Kiesler adds a parent and baby watching from the window, and she spangles the fish with golden stars. Both art and text emphasize the enchantment of misty dreams and the lullaby sound of the "silvery waves [that] rock the fishes to sleep" (Jean Jaszi). Despite the disparate cultures and centuries from which the poems have been culled, each reverberates with comfort and love. Ages 2-5. (Sept.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
\ Publishers Weekly\ - Publisher's Weekly\ Kiesler's (The Great Frog Race) dreamy acrylic paintings accompany an eclectic collection of soothing poems about the sea. In addition to traditional lullabies from Hawaii, Greece, Ireland and France, Kiesler includes some classic fare: Eugene Fields's "Wynken, Blynken, and Nod," Tennyson's "Sweet and Low" and Robert Louis Stevenson's "My Bed Is a Boat." Especially charming 20th-century additions feature Eve Merriam's onomatopoeic "Lullaby" ("Sh sh what do you wish") and Dahlov Ipcar's delicate "Fishes' Evening Song." The layouts are varied, rhythmically and unobtrusively, while each idyllic painting exudes the evanescent wonder of a nighttime sea. A full-page painting of a mother and child against a seascape of peach-colored clouds is juxtaposed with the spot art of the "herrins in the bay" from the Scottish "Hush Song." In a fantastic vein, a full-spread painting offers a literal interpretation of Merriam's lines about a magical fish that "swims out from the window and down to the river"; Kiesler adds a parent and baby watching from the window, and she spangles the fish with golden stars. Both art and text emphasize the enchantment of misty dreams and the lullaby sound of the "silvery waves [that] rock the fishes to sleep" (Jean Jaszi). Despite the disparate cultures and centuries from which the poems have been culled, each reverberates with comfort and love. Ages 2-5. (Sept.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.\ \ \ \ \ Library JournalPreS-Gr 2-This enchanting collection includes traditional lullabies such as "Dance to Your Daddy" and classic poems such as Robert Louis Stevenson's "My Bed Is a Boat," as well as more recent playful creations by Eve Merriam and Dahlov Ipcar. The gentle, muted colors in Kiesler's illustrations reinforce the calm, restful mood of the verses. There is a whimsical, dreamlike aspect to some of the pictures, while other paintings are more realistic. The artist often includes elements from the culture in which the lullaby originated. One could pair this collection with Naomi Shihab Nye's Benito's Dream Bottle (S & S, 1995) to fuel discussion of dreams and imagination for a starry storytime. A beautifully designed collection, perfect for sharing with children before nap time, bedtime, and anytime for quiet reflection.-Robin L. Gibson, Muskingum County Library System, Zanesville, OH Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.\ \ \ Kirkus ReviewsKiesler's dreamy acrylic paintings accompany a collection of lullabies with sea-faring themes. From the traditional to the contemporary, the works of Robert Louis Stevenson, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Eve Merriam, Rudyard Kipling, and others appear alongside traditional poems from France, Ireland, Scotland, Greece, and Hawaii. Sleepy images evoke their own rhythm of the sea, whether lapping waves, magical flying fish, or sailing ships. Each savory painting holds a blush of tenderness—in a cloud, a shoreline, a fish's eye, the crook of a mother's arm— stirring childhood sentiment. Earthbound seascapes make way for the particularly lovely flights of fancy: moon, stars, and wind personified as maidens with straw hats, scarves accompanying Jean Jaszi's "Lullaby," and a young boy's bed flying over rooftops for Stevenson's "My Bed Is a Boat." Ideal for lap-sharing, parents and children may discover in these pages their own starry nights together before bedtime. (Picture book/poetry. 2-5)\ \
