Hey Little Rockabye: A Lullaby for Pet Adoption

by Buffy Sainte-Marie, Ben Hodson (Illustrator)

Overview

Young and old alike will cheer and sing along with this heartfelt picture book about pet adoption based on a new song by Academy Award-winning singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie.

In this tender and moving picture book, a puppy is looking for someone to love him. Will the girl who rescues him convince her parents to let her keep the little dog? Buffy Sainte-Marie advocates “putting the songs to work” and, like her other lyrics, Hey Little Rockabye conveys an important message about finding love and acceptance. Brought to life in charming illustrations by Ben Hodson, Hey Little Rockabye shares a not-yet-released song with the world for the first time.

With the release of the first-ever recording to coincide with the publication of the book, Hey Little Rockabye can now be read—or sung—by old and young alike for years to come.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781771644822
Publisher:	Greystone Books
Publication date:	05/12/2020
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,125,272
Product dimensions:	8.20(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	360L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Cree singer–songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie has made her voice heard through her music, art, and activism, establishing herself among the ranks of folk greats. Her long career has seen her rise to stardom on the folk circuit, with forays into country, rock, soundtracks, acting, activism, and children’s television. Now, she adds children’s picture book author to her incredible list of accomplishments.

Ben Hodson is an award-winning illustrator of more than twenty children’s books. He lives with his family in Peterborough, Ontario.

Interviews

This is a song that I sing to all my animals when I first welcome them home. I have had lots of pets: dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens from my local shelter; more than thirty goats and their kids; and the most wonderful horse in the world who lived to be forty-six years old. All of them have been rescues who needed a home and they each have filled me with special joy. Some were at the shelter waiting to be adopted. Others needed a home because of other reasons, but I sure have loved each one of them every day, and I’ve felt very lucky that they have been my pets.

You can sing “Hey Little Rockabye” to a kitten or puppy, or a grown-up cat or dog, or a rabbit, or a guinea pig, or a horse—any kind of pet. My horse was very big but I still sang “Hey Little Rockabye” to her pretty often. I also sang it to each one of my goats. I think there’s nothing as cute as a baby goat and they sure like to cuddle.

You can make this song fit your pet. You might want to sing“ Hey hey little rockabye boy” to your boy pet, or “Hey hey little rockabye girl,” which is what I used to sing to my girl cat, Fifi.

No matter what kind of animal your little rockabye pet is, or whether you have a boy or a girl, and no matter how young or how old, or how big or how small your pet is, I hope my song will make you feel loving and cozy together and fill you both with special joy, too.

Editorial Reviews

“While the calming, rhythmic refrain [...] offers a soothing sense of security, there’s also a spontaneous, improvisational feel to this catchy song.”
—Quill & Quire

“It’s sweet and heartfelt.”
—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2020-02-26
A lullaby picture book about pet adoption.

While out for a walk, a child sees a stray dog being taken away in a van marked “animal shelter.” Thinking about the dog day and night, the child wonders if the dog was “born on a cold winter day” or if “somebody threw [it] away.” The child draws many pictures: of a sad dog in bad weather or a cage and of themself with a happy dog. After the child shows their parents the pictures, the whole family goes to the shelter to adopt the dog. The child assures the dog, “You didn't have no choice and you didn't get no vote, / When they dropped you off at the shelter, / All you had was your little fur coat, // But now you got somebody loves you.” In a note, Saint-Marie shares that she sings this song for all her animals upon welcoming them home. Read aloud, the refrain, “You got somebody loves you,” is extremely awkward; sheet music is appended for readers who wish to try singing. In Hodson’s illustrations, the narrator’s expressive face conveys emotion clearly, making readers feel sadness and love toward the abandoned dog. The child has brown skin, and their parents are an interracial couple.

It’s sweet and heartfelt, but it works better as a song than as a book. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews