Mushroom Lullaby

by Kenneth Kraegel, Kenneth Kraegel (Illustrator)

Overview

In gentle rhyme, this spare and whimsical picture book from the one-of-a-kind imagination of Kenneth Kraegel introduces little readers to all sorts of wonderful mushrooms: ones that grow up high and ones that never stay dry, ones that grow in a park and ones that glow in the dark, and even one made just for them! Who can resist climbing up the soft mushroom stair, curling up in a plush mushroom chair, and preparing to dream sweet mushroom dreams?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536219418
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	10/11/2022
Series:	Lullaby
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.90(w) x 11.30(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	2 - 5 Years

About the Author

Kenneth Kraegel is the author-illustrator of the picture books Green Pants and King Arthur's Very Great Grandson, which was named a New York Times Book Review Notable Children’s Book of the Year, as well as the board book This Is a Book of Shapes and the first chapter book Wild Honey from the Moon. He lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with his family.

Editorial Reviews

★ 08/15/2022

Mushrooms provide an unconventional and earthy through line for this cozy bedtime book. Rhyming lines open with a simple introduction to different types of fungi (“This is a mushroom that grows in the park./ This is a mushroom that glows in the dark”), but the story soon takes a more personal and interactive slant: “And here is a mushroom made just for you./ Your friends can come, too.” A game- and lemonade-filled day with bug pals—including a ladybug, centipede, and a pair of butterflies—ensues, until dusk arrives and the door to “your” mushroom house is flung open. Up “soft mushroom stair” the reader discovers a round room with a “big mushroom chair” and a “warm/ mushroom bed”—a welcoming space in which to snuggle down as the full moon peeks through a circular window. Intricate dots and lines define Kraegel’s ink and watercolor art, which quaintly supports this enchanted, inviting portrait of a mushroom day and night. Ages 2–5. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

12/01/2022

Toddler-PreS—This book begins like a lyrical show-and-tell: "This is a mushroom that grows in the park./ This is a mushroom that glows in the dark./ This is a mushroom growing on a tree./ And this little mushroom is hard to see." With the turn of each golden page, the natural world of a realistic mushroom tale turns into a miniature journey to a small mushroom home where "you," the listener, can drop off to sleep in cozy surroundings and dream the night away. By this time, children will have stopped asking questions about how they went from show-and-tell to dollhouse-sized existence, fully entering this mushroom world of warmth and tenderness to settle down to sleep. The rhyming text starts off with mushrooms to look for and ends by being tucked into a snug mushroom bed. The artwork has lots of details that will give the less sleepy opportunities to look for and name things as the pages are turned, without the bother of a narrative plot. VERDICT A nice way to send children off to post–story hour naps, at least once.—Debbie Tanner

School Library Journal

★ 2022-06-08
This bedtime fantasy features an intimate glimpse into the imagined world of fungi.

Short sentences, lilting rhymes, and harmonious visuals help viewers grasp the subject matter: “This is a mushroom that grows in the park. / This is a mushroom that glows in the dark.” Kraegel invites readers in by showing a homey mushroom dwelling and switching to the second person; since the “you” is never depicted, all will feel included. Friends are welcome, too: A snail, caterpillar, ladybug, and butterflies visit. They play volleyball, strategize chess moves, and sip lemonade under the flowers. A nearly square trim size and ink-and-watercolor compositions with an abundance of curves and rounded shapes create a setting filled with quiet joy and a sense of security. Stippling and other surface patterns provide texture and gradations of light. As the day winds down, the warm palette becomes even more intense, with glowing embers in the fireplace and deep orange-red walls and décor. The cozy interior is filled with neatly arranged toys, books, musical instruments, and stuffed animals. Stars and the moon are visible through the circular window, and as the view pans out to portray a community of mushroom homes in all their glorious variety, listeners learn that while it is time to “turn out the light,” they are wished “sweet dreams, / a soft rest… // and a very good night.” (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A mycological charmer. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews

Short sentences, lilting rhymes, and harmonious visuals help viewers grasp the subject matter. . . Kraegel invites readers in by showing a homey mushroom dwelling. . . A mycological charmer.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Mushrooms provide an unconventional and earthy through line for this cozy bedtime book. . . . Intricate dots and lines define Kraegel’s ink and watercolor art, which quaintly supports this enchanted, inviting portrait of a mushroom day and night.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

The simple, sweet rhymes anchor the gentle story and make it an ideal bedtime read-aloud, and the vibrant ink-and-watercolor illustrations are immersive and intimate. . . Children will pore over the cozy details, from bug-sized volleyball nets to miniature lantern-lit paths, and the last glimpses of a moonlit mushroom village may even have grown-ups wishing for a relocation to the snug setting. A magical, mellow mushroom dream.
—Booklist (starred review)

This book begins like a lyrical show-and-tell. . . With the turn of each golden page, the natural world of a realistic mushroom tale turns into a miniature journey to a small mushroom home. . . A nice way to send children off to post–story hour naps.
—School Library Journal

From the Publisher