Dreamland: A Lullaby

Mary Chapin Carpenters voice and songs have won her recognition around the world as a recording artist, performer, and songwriter. With Dreamland and Halley Came to Jackson, she extends her many talents to childrens books. Her numerous honors include five Grammy Awards and two CMA Female Vocalist of the Year awards, and she has released consecutive multi-platinum albums. She has actively supported numerous social and environmental organizations, including the Care Foundation, the Wilderness Society, and the Country Music AIDS Awareness Campaign.

Dan Andreasen is the illustrator of the Caroline Years series and the Rose Years series, both part of the Little House publishing program. He is also the illustrator of Pioneer Girl, the real-life story of Laura Ingalls Wilder. He lives in Medina, Ohio with his wife and two children.

Carpenter's original lullaby (her contribution to 'Til Their Eyes Shine, a recent CD anthology of lullabies by a number of well-known performing artists) makes for pleasant enough bedtime fare, though it's a shame that the musical notation wasn't included?it's clear from the cadence that these verses were meant to be sung, not just read aloud. The words are geared for gently coaxing little ones to sleep: "Who knows where you'll fly away,/ winging past the light of day?/ The man in the moon and the Milky Way/ welcome you to dreamland." Catering to the same pearly taste, Noonan's (Emma & Mommy Talk to God) oil paintings have the retro flavor of tinted photographs of the '30s and '40s. A cherubic blonde girl drifts off to sleep, floating across a pastel night sky with multiracial companions who emerge from blossoming flowers and who snuggle with stuffed animals?it seems almost unnecessary to add that the stars and the moon all wear smiling faces. There's little middle ground here: readers will find this either saccharine or sweet as spun sugar. Ages 3-7.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.