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Summary
Summary
A colorful goodnight poem to a "bayou gal." Includes a glossary with Cajun pronunciation.
Summary
"Appelt has written a rhythmic, soothing lullaby for a little girl who lives in a house by the banks of the bayou....The verse is evocative and lovely....Each scene is a self-contained work of art and a visual feast....A stunning picture book."--School Library Journal.
Reviews (10)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-UpAppelt has written a rhythmic, soothing lullaby for a little girl who lives in a house by the banks of the bayou: ``Rockabye, you bayou gal,/Cattails be a-swishin'/Softly sigh, oh bayou gal,/On a star be wishin'.'' The verse is evocative and lovely, but the true merit of the book lies in Waldman's double-page acrylic paintings. Each scene is a self-contained work of art and a visual feast. He has set the swamp's luminous flora and fauna against a velvety black background, and richly fluorescent shades of greens, purples, blues, and teals decorate the pages. A stunning picture book.Judy Constantinides, East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Like the easy, winding bayou, slow Cajun rhythms swing through this night song: "Rockabye you bayou gal,/ Cattails be a-swishin'/ Softly sigh, oh bayou gal,/ On a star be wishin'." Appelt weaves regional details with universal images that summon up the floating, swaying sensations of sleep: a "pirogue" (boat) gently bobbing "atop the water chocolat"; a bullfrog's voice stretching in crescendo ("King Armand be whistlin'/ To crawdads 'neath the waves"), then quieting toward dawn; water wending toward the sea through the dark tangled roots of cypress trees. Distinctive speech rhythms and rhymes rest lightly on the ear; nouveau Cajun devotées will find a helpful glossary of six important words (the term ``Cajun,'' however, receives no definition). Waldman's art (The Tyger; Light) seems more playful and more dynamic here than previously. Against the black of night, his stylized acrylic paintings extend their blue palette toward violet and green. An inspired pairing of author and artist. Ages 2-up. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Striking blues, greens, and purples create an appropriate atmosphere for these bedtime verses, which appear in white type on the black pages. Using a sprinking of Cajun words and mentioning a number of bayou creatures, such as alligators, bullfrogs, and 'crawdads,' the lullaby reassures a young bayou girl that all is well for the night. Glos. From HORN BOOK 1995, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A Louisiana lullaby, set to honeyed Cajun verse. Appelt (Elephants Aloft, Harcourt, 1993) creates a gentle and comforting work: creatures of the swamp snooze under the moon, both father and mother spend hushed moments readying the child for bed, fireflies flicker through the dark. Appelt nicely limns the rhythms of the bayou (``His silver notes be settlin' down/To soothe the alligators/Now go to sleep, petite chérie/My little sweet potato'') complete with the snatches of French (identified in a short list of ``Cajun Pronunciations'' up front) that make it authentic. Waldman's illustrations have a rather ham-handed relation to the lullaby; these are nocturnal hybrids, perhaps the crossing of Maxfield Parrish with Peter Maxx. Each painting is built around one word from the verse on that page--firefly, pirogue, tadpole--and don't capture the atmosphere of the poem. As a result, there is little flow between images, and much of the lyricism would be lost if Appelt's verse weren't strong enough to stand on its own. (Picture book. 2-5)
Booklist Review
Ages 3-6. While there are many lyrical bedtime books, this one has the advantage of being infused with a lilting yet accessible Cajun rhythm. The reassuring verse is recited to a young bayou girl whose marshy, nocturnal world is ruled over by Arnaud, king of bullfrogs. With a menagerie of royal subjects that include "buzzin mosquitos," "snoozing crawdads," and "harmonizin crickets," this has a bit more oomph than many tranquil read-alouds. Set against glossy ebony backdrops, the stylized double-page compositions are awash with vibrant shades of blue, purple, and green. A prefatory note includes pronunciation and definitions for six Creole phrases. (Reviewed Mar. 15, 1995)0688128564Julie Corsaro
School Library Journal Review
PreS-UpAppelt has written a rhythmic, soothing lullaby for a little girl who lives in a house by the banks of the bayou: ``Rockabye, you bayou gal,/Cattails be a-swishin'/Softly sigh, oh bayou gal,/On a star be wishin'.'' The verse is evocative and lovely, but the true merit of the book lies in Waldman's double-page acrylic paintings. Each scene is a self-contained work of art and a visual feast. He has set the swamp's luminous flora and fauna against a velvety black background, and richly fluorescent shades of greens, purples, blues, and teals decorate the pages. A stunning picture book.Judy Constantinides, East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Like the easy, winding bayou, slow Cajun rhythms swing through this night song: "Rockabye you bayou gal,/ Cattails be a-swishin'/ Softly sigh, oh bayou gal,/ On a star be wishin'." Appelt weaves regional details with universal images that summon up the floating, swaying sensations of sleep: a "pirogue" (boat) gently bobbing "atop the water chocolat"; a bullfrog's voice stretching in crescendo ("King Armand be whistlin'/ To crawdads 'neath the waves"), then quieting toward dawn; water wending toward the sea through the dark tangled roots of cypress trees. Distinctive speech rhythms and rhymes rest lightly on the ear; nouveau Cajun devotées will find a helpful glossary of six important words (the term ``Cajun,'' however, receives no definition). Waldman's art (The Tyger; Light) seems more playful and more dynamic here than previously. Against the black of night, his stylized acrylic paintings extend their blue palette toward violet and green. An inspired pairing of author and artist. Ages 2-up. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Striking blues, greens, and purples create an appropriate atmosphere for these bedtime verses, which appear in white type on the black pages. Using a sprinking of Cajun words and mentioning a number of bayou creatures, such as alligators, bullfrogs, and 'crawdads,' the lullaby reassures a young bayou girl that all is well for the night. Glos. From HORN BOOK 1995, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A Louisiana lullaby, set to honeyed Cajun verse. Appelt (Elephants Aloft, Harcourt, 1993) creates a gentle and comforting work: creatures of the swamp snooze under the moon, both father and mother spend hushed moments readying the child for bed, fireflies flicker through the dark. Appelt nicely limns the rhythms of the bayou (``His silver notes be settlin' down/To soothe the alligators/Now go to sleep, petite chérie/My little sweet potato'') complete with the snatches of French (identified in a short list of ``Cajun Pronunciations'' up front) that make it authentic. Waldman's illustrations have a rather ham-handed relation to the lullaby; these are nocturnal hybrids, perhaps the crossing of Maxfield Parrish with Peter Maxx. Each painting is built around one word from the verse on that page--firefly, pirogue, tadpole--and don't capture the atmosphere of the poem. As a result, there is little flow between images, and much of the lyricism would be lost if Appelt's verse weren't strong enough to stand on its own. (Picture book. 2-5)
Booklist Review
Ages 3-6. While there are many lyrical bedtime books, this one has the advantage of being infused with a lilting yet accessible Cajun rhythm. The reassuring verse is recited to a young bayou girl whose marshy, nocturnal world is ruled over by Arnaud, king of bullfrogs. With a menagerie of royal subjects that include "buzzin mosquitos," "snoozing crawdads," and "harmonizin crickets," this has a bit more oomph than many tranquil read-alouds. Set against glossy ebony backdrops, the stylized double-page compositions are awash with vibrant shades of blue, purple, and green. A prefatory note includes pronunciation and definitions for six Creole phrases. (Reviewed Mar. 15, 1995)0688128564Julie Corsaro