  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 11/01/2011 PreS—In a tiny Tanzanian settlement of thatched-roof huts located on a sandy beach and in the verdant hills rising from it, a young mother recounts to her baby, in lilting text, the story of their day. Together they saw the sunrise; watched Baba clean his small boat; gathered water at the stream; hoed the fields; and cooked over a fire on the beach. They passed monkeys, zebras, and beautiful birds as they carried a basket of food for Baba to take out on his boat at night, and now they sit on a blanket under the stars as Mama sings her baby to sleep. The refrain, "Lala salama" (Swahili for "sleep peacefully"), is repeated throughout the short text. Bold hues of green, blue, and orange predominate in lovely two-page scenes painted in oils on watercolor paper that give them all a textured look. In her folk-art style, Zunon shows women carrying bundles and baskets on their heads; fishing boats waiting in the rosy pink sunrise at water's edge; children at wash boxes on the beach; the colorful cloth in Mama's wrapped skirt, and the brightly patterned kanga cloth that she uses to carry her baby on her back as she works. This is a soothing bedtime book-a rhythmic lullaby that can be used to lull a little one to sleep and, perhaps, to inspire parents to create a story of their own baby's day, as well.—Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH - Copyright 2011 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 12/01/2011 Lala salama means sleep well in Swahili, and in this warm, loving picture-book lullaby, set in Tanzania, Mama retells the story of her baby’s day, from sunrise to nighttime, in their village on Lake Tanganyika. The spacious double-page spreads in glowing red and brown shades show Mama washing and dressing the little boy in the morning and tying him to her back with a cloth. Throughout the day, as she works in the field and carries water, she can feel his heartbeat. Then, at sunset on a rose-red lake, mother and child bring Baba (the father) a basket of food, and a close-up image shows him holding the baby, singing his own sweet song in his own sweet voice, before he leaves in his boat. There are wide views of sunset and the night sky with stars above and lanterns (including Baba’s) on the lake. MacLachlan spent time in Tanzania, Zunon grew up in the Ivory Coast, and their well-paced, lyrical lullaby, rooted in local detail, is universal. - Copyright 2011 Booklist. Loading...
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