Goodnight Songs: A Celebration of the Seasons

PreS-Gr 1—Following 2014's Goodnight Songs (Sterling), this second volume of previously unpublished poems and songs by the legendary Brown is just as enchanting and handsomely produced as the first. Twelve poems about the seasons are brought to life through art and music. Heavy hitters like David Small, Peter Brown, Molly Idle, Frank Viva, and Bob Staake join up-and-coming illustrators from around the globe such as Leo Espinoza, Dadu Shin, and Blanca Gomez. The book opens with "To a Child," the soothingly surreal invitation to "run away/To a long unscheduled day," paired with Floyd Cooper's dreamy oil-wash-on-board illustrations. Subsequent poems inspire young readers to notice the natural world around them and appreciate the wondrous activity inspired by the changing seasons. There's much whimsy to be found: in "The Song of the Tiny Cat," readers hear the tale of a jaunty feline "no bigger than a puzzy willow"; in "Bunny Jig," Small's energetic line and pitch-perfect visual timing elevate the humor of this toe-tapping ditty; and Idle's clever interpretation of Brown's "Advice to Bunnies" is as chuckle-worthy as it is charming. Along with the playfulness and joy, Brown's verses also offer young listeners opportunities to reflect on the melancholia of change. In "Cherry Tree," Elly MacKay's red-suited little girl makes a snow angel while lamenting that her "dear tree/Where the cherries were red/Is frozen and gray,/The birds are all fled." Parents with a young child on their lap are sure to be moved by "Love Song of the Little Bear," and the refrain "It's a long time that I've loved you. Never, never go away." As in the first book, an included CD features Tom Proutt and Emily Gary's musical renditions of each of Brown's songs. Their lilting folk harmonies, country- and jazz-infused rhythms, accompanied on various tracks by mandolin, accordion, tympani, bass clarinet, and harmonica, elevate the verses and offer listeners a more complete sensory experience.