Two happy reviews for my upcoming picture book, Sweet Dreams Lullaby, have officially come out today. You have to have a subscription to access the reviews online, but here they are below. Hope you don't mind me sharing...it's kind of a big moment for me. I'm starting to get really excited about the book coming out at the end of January. It feels REAL now.
December 15, 2009 issue of Booklist (circ: 20,000):
SWEET DREAMS LULLABY
Snyder, Betsy (Author) , Snyder, Betsy (Illustrator)
Jan 2010. 32 p. Random, hardcover, $15.99. (9780375858529).
The author-illustrator of Haiku Baby (2008) offers a soothing bedtime story with just the right amount of sweetness. As a little bunny gets tucked into his bed, he dreams of his pastoral world outside as it slows down and readies for night. Dandelions, robin eggs, flower blossoms, frogs, caterpillars, and more all prepare for the night. “Dream of comforts all around, / in soothing colors, shapes, and sounds. / Set your cares and wishes free / to ride the dandelion breeze.” With their gentle cadence, Snyder’s short rhyming phrases add to the cuddly effect. The charming collage artwork, with images of snuggling squirrels and daddy frogs singing little ones to sleep, will bring a smile. Particularly effective are the backgrounds as the colors of the sky—and the pages—go from sunny yellow to pinks and oranges, then deep purples and blues, as the sun finally sets and the moon rises. A worthy and welcome addition to the canon of cozy bedtime stories.
— Rebecca Wojahn
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December 15th issue of Kirkus Reviews (circ: 1,718):
Snyder, Betsy
SWEET DREAMS LULLABY
Illus. by the author
In The Runaway Bunny, Margaret Wise Brown’s mother bunny famously tells her little one to “have a carrot” when he finally settles in for the night. The bunny in Snyder’s bedtime book already has a carrot securely tucked in his pajama pocket in the cover and title-page illustrations. Sustenance secured, he doesn’t tell his mother he will run away; instead, he acquiesces to having her tuck him into bed on the first page and then imagines himself in the dreamscapes she describes to lull him to sleep. The rhyming text describes the little bunny in different outdoor scenes where fireflies are cast as nightlights, a daddy frog “sings low and deep, / lulling all the pond to sleep” and stars whisper “good night.” Throughout the pictures, the pocketed carrot is often replaced by other objects from the text, though sometimes the bunny’s pocket is disappointingly empty. Digitally produced art with collage elements employs a rich, soothing palette befitting the gentle cadence of the text. A lovely addition to bedtime-book collections. (Picture book. 2-5)
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