Salsa Lullaby
by Jen Arena
illustrated by Erika Meza
Date: 2019
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library
How to get baby to sleep? Mami and Papi will try anything in this bouncy, loving, bilingual lullaby that gently says good night in both Spanish and English.
Mami starts a salsa song.
Papi keeps the beat.
Baby loves this lullaby,
moves those dancing feet.
Baila, baby, baila!
Dance, dance, dance.
When nighttime falls, it's time for baby to go to sleep. In this household, that means it's also time for mama, papa, and baby to baila/dance, canta/sing, salta/jump, and more all the way to bedtime!
This bouncy bilingual text and gorgeous, inviting illustrations gently wind down to make this a bedtime favorite no matter what language families say "good night" in!
(synopsis from Goodreads)
Setting aside the wisdom of winding a baby up with salsa music right before bed, this is actually a really cute book featuring a family of three (four, if you count the dog) as they get ready for the baby's bedtime. Mami puts some music on, and then they go through the process of getting the kid settled down for the night: having a bottle, getting out a favourite toy, the dog lying down beside the crib as a protector. The exuberance and fun of the rituals come across clearly on the pages.
The illustrations, done in a limited colour palette by Erika Meza, are lots of fun. They have a distinctly animated feel to them, which I like. The baby and the dog are super cute.
This is a charming bedtime book that shows a loving family. As long as you don't actually put salsa music on when you read it to your kids at bedtime, you should be fine.
Quotable moment:
Premise: 3/5
Meter: 4/5
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 4/5
Enjoyment: 4/5
Overall: 3.71 out of 5
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