Brown Baby Lullaby
by Tameka Fryer Brown; illus. by AG Ford
Preschool    Farrar    32 pp.    g
1/20    978-0-374-30752-3    $16.99

Chronicling the nighttime routine of a family, Brown has penned a bedtime story that is immediately warm and relatable for families with young children. We follow an Afro-Latinx couple as they finish their day with their little one and entreat him to “Look, mi hijo, at the sun / Setting now that day is done / Moonlight’s breaking, night’s begun / Come, my sweet brown baby.” Activities include cooking dinner while their “noisy rowdy baby” bangs on pots and pans, dinnertime during which the “independent baby” attempts to feed himself, bath time with a “silly splashy baby,” and a bedtime blessing of “Buenas noches, baby.” Double-page spreads portray the family dynamic: the mischievous grin between father and son during prayer time, the warm family hug as the parents dry baby off after a bath. While the facial expressions of the mother and father remain mostly peaceful and calm, illustrator Ford captures the toddler’s changing emotions as he goes through his nighttime routine. With the rhythmic text and engaging illustrations, here’s a book that could become part of yours.

From the March/April 2020 Horn Book Magazine.