Michel Ross and Zachary Fielding (text) and Lisa Kennedy (illustrator), Tjitji Lullaby, HarperCollins, November 2022, 20 pp., RRP $19.99 (board), ISBN 9780733342783
Bedtime can be a challenging time of day for families with young children. Hopefully many families catch on to the notion that a book or two can quieten and calm young minds as they get ready for sleep. The meditative tone of Tjitji Lullaby is a great option for parents looking for a way to relax and destress their children at bedtime.
There is nothing here that will excite or rile up kids. Instead, from the very beginning, the text and illustrations work together to produce a calm, quiet and peaceful atmosphere. Somehow, within the pages of a book, the creators have perfectly captured the stillness of dusk in the Australian bush. That special time of day when the diurnal animals have settled down for the night, but before the nocturnal animals have become active.
The illustrations are stunning and quite unique. Readers are taken to a variety of settings from the Australian landscape: coastlines, riverbanks, tree hollows and bushlands. The image of the butterflies clinging to the underside of a branch is especially captivating.
This poetic board book is perfect for real littlies and their grown-ups to enjoy at the end of a busy day.
Reviewed by Cherie Bell
