A Hawaiian-inspired lullaby presents the natural beauty and joys of the land as the swaying of tea leaf skirts, hula dances, and ocean breezes are captured in simple text and rich illustrations. - (Baker & Taylor)
Against the backdrop of a beautiful Hawaiian landscape, a young girl cuddles and sleeps in her mother's lap. - (Hachette Book Group)
Erin was raised in the Midwest; she studied Art History in England, then became a Flight Attendant and traveled throughout the world. Her work is inspired by the cultures and places she loves. Hula Lullaby is her first book as both author and illustrator.
- (Hachette Book Group)
Booklist Reviews
PreS-Gr. 2. At sunset, a Hawaiian girl climbs into her mother's lap, and together they watch hula dancers as they listen to the music of traditional drums and rattles. As night falls, the mother tells her child of the mountain in the distance, the animals nearby, and the palm trees swaying above them. The rhyming text becomes almost hypnotic as night deepens around the two and, finally, the girl falls asleep. Glowing with warm colors, which seem all the more brilliant in the night scenes, the gouache-and-pencil illustrations create an idyllic vision of Hawaiian culture. The repetition of rounded forms reflects the rhythmic pattern of the verse. An affectionate, even musical bedtime book. ((Reviewed May 1, 2005)) Copyright 2005 Booklist Reviews.
Horn Book Guide Reviews
A mother sings and cuddles her daughter as the two watch musicians and dancers perform a hula. Lush paintings of curvaceous figures and a quiet rhythmic text are both a lullaby and description of the Hawaiian tradition of the hula dance. The dark blues and greens of the illustrations, punctuated with bright tropical colors, convey both time of day and place. Copyright 2005 Horn Book Guide Reviews.
Kirkus Reviews
A little girl crawls onto her mother's lap to listen to the ipu "thump tap thump-a-tap" and watch the hula dancers sway in this perfectly pitched tropical lullaby that captures the sounds, sights and scents of an island night. A fire glows. Ocean waves crash against the shore. The moon rises into a starry sky. Birds rustle, palms sway and flowers perfume the air. The repetitive, rhythmic text echoes the cadence of traditional hula drums and chants, inviting little keike everywhere to nestle, snuggle, sleep and dream in the "Aloha way." Reminiscent of Gauguin's primitive patterns and native images, the acrylic-and-pencil illustrations in lush midnight blues, moon yellows, flower reds and leaf greens, enhance the Hawaiian atmosphere. Guaranteed to gently rock tiny tots to sleep. (author's note) (Picture book. Infant-3) Copyright Kirkus 2005 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved.
School Library Journal Reviews
PreS-Gr 3-The sights and sounds of Hawaii are brought to life in this gentle picture book. Surrounded by hula dancers and native musicians, a little girl is lulled to sleep in her mother's lap under a starry sky. Hawaiian words are interwoven into the rhyming verses that describe the glow of the firelight, the movement of the dancers, and the rhythm of the instruments. A brief foreword defines the unfamiliar vocabulary and outlines the "Aloha Spirit." Lovely, lush paintings reminiscent of Paul Gauguin's Tahitian period illustrate the story. The design of many of the spreads effectively conveys a sense of flowing movement consistent with the motion and music portrayed. While this title is eminently suitable as a bedtime story, it could also be used with classes that are studying Hawaii.-Rosalyn Pierini, San Luis Obispo City-County Library, CA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
