Under the Silver Moon: Lullabies, Night Songs & Poems

by Pamela Dalton

Overview

Cut-paper artist Pamela Dalton's magically intricate illustrations illuminate a generous collection of lullabies and goodnight poems. Recalling traditional favorites from childhood and embracing a wide range of sources and cultures, this timeless collection makes a lovely addition to any bedroom bookshelf or bedtime read-aloud ritual. Sure to enchant both children and their parents, Dalton's exquisite detail and sophisticated aesthetic—always informed by warmth and a deep humanity—will speak to anyone looking for the perfect keepsake book for a newborn or baby shower.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452167428
Publisher:	Chronicle Books LLC
Publication date:	03/22/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	37
File size:	9 MB
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Pamela Dalton has spent more than 25 years working in the technique of Scherenschnitte ("scissor cuts"), which has its roots in 16th-century Germany and Switzerland and was brought to the United States by Pennsylvania Dutch settlers in the 18th century. Each of her illustrations is cut from one continuous piece of paper. She lives in Harlemville, New York.

Editorial Reviews

05/08/2017
Cutting intricate designs from paper and painting them with watercolor, Dalton (Giving Thanks) fashions old-fashioned storybook scenes to accompany a collection of lullabies, poems, nursery rhymes, and prayers. Some are from traditional European settings (“Brahms’ Lullaby,” Humperdinck’s “Evening Prayer”), and others are from North America (“All the Pretty Little Ponies,” “Hush, Little Baby”). In many cases, the poems form a gentle introduction to literary English, and to new words whose sounds and rhythms are enjoyable for their own sake: “Lullaby and good night, with roses bedight/ With lilies o’er spread is baby’s wee bed.” Dalton’s scenes, set against velvety black backdrops, radiate warmth and security as children are shown sleeping, napping, and gazing at the night sky. Some are children of color, and a wreath of cutout angel figures features diverse faces. The borders are often as elaborate as the central scenes themselves—a flock of colorful butterflies, the braided manes of horses, bouquets of flowers, and a bower of pussy willows with each catkin’s silvery bloom carefully shaded. A lovely gift for new parents. Ages 2–5. (July)

Publishers Weekly

"A lovely gift for new parents."-Publishers Weekly

"A lovely gift for new parents."-Publishers Weekly

"Effectively soporific."-Kirkus Reviews

"Effectively soporific."-Kirkus Reviews

"The tender fragility of Ms. Dalton's scissor-cut pictures seems just right for bedtime."—The Wall Street Journal

"The tender fragility of Ms. Dalton's scissor-cut pictures seems just right for bedtime."—The Wall Street Journal

From the Publisher

2017-04-17
Intricate cut-paper borders and figures accompany a set of sleepy-time lyrics and traditional rhymes.Aside from "All the Pretty Little Ponies," which is identified as "possibly African American," the selections are a mostly Eurocentric sampling. It's a mix of familiar anonymous rhymes ("Oh, how lovely is the evening," "Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, / Bless this bed that I lie on") and verses from known authors, including Jane Taylor's "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" (first verse only), Robert Louis Stevenson's "My Bed is a Boat," and Rudyard Kipling's "The White Seal's Lullaby." Melodramatic lullabies such as "Rockabye Baby" have been excluded in favor of more pacifistic poems, and in keeping with the cozy tone (though she does show one cat looming hungrily over a mouse hole), Dalton enfolds each entry in delicately detailed sprays of leaves or waves, graceful garlands of flowers, flights of butterflies, and tidy arrangements of natural or domestic items, all set against black or dark backgrounds that intensify the soft colors. A parade of young people—clad in nightclothes and diverse of facial features, hair color and texture, and skin hue—follow a childlike, white angel on the endpapers and pose drowsily throughout. Effectively soporific, though less broadly diverse in culture than casting. (Picture book/poetry. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews