PreS-In a tiny Tanzanian settlement of thatched-roof huts located on a sandy beach and in the verdant hills rising from it, a young mother recounts to her baby, in lilting text, the story of their day. Together they saw the sunrise; watched Baba clean his small boat; gathered water at the stream; hoed the fields; and cooked over a fire on the beach. They passed monkeys, zebras, and beautiful birds as they carried a basket of food for Baba to take out on his boat at night, and now they sit on a blanket under the stars as Mama sings her baby to sleep. The refrain, "Lala salama" (Swahili for "sleep peacefully"), is repeated throughout the short text. Bold hues of green, blue, and orange predominate in lovely two-page scenes painted in oils on watercolor paper that give them all a textured look. In her folk-art style, Zunon shows women carrying bundles and baskets on their heads; fishing boats waiting in the rosy pink sunrise at water's edge; children at wash boxes on the beach; the colorful cloth in Mama's wrapped skirt, and the brightly patterned kanga cloth that she uses to carry her baby on her back as she works. This is a soothing bedtime book-a rhythmic lullaby that can be used to lull a little one to sleep and, perhaps, to inspire parents to create a story of their own baby's day, as well.-Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

"Lala salama" means "Sleep peacefully" in Swahili; MacLachlan (Before You Came) imagines the phrase repeated by a Tanzanian mother as she recounts the events of the day to her small child. In all of Zunon's (My Hands Sing the Blues) warm, intimate oil paintings, the baby is shown held close; its feet never touch the ground. The baby sits on its mother's lap and watches Baba, the father, sweep out his fishing boat. Later, the mother washes the baby "in the water warmed by the fire" and carries the baby on her back, "close enough to feel the beating of your heart" as she collects water in a jug, works the field, and cooks an evening meal. At last, baby and mother sit on the shore, watching the lights of the boats: "One by one by one, the lanterns/ flicker on the lake-/ stars above and stars below." MacLachlan presents a vision of African life that's serene and safe, and the mother's voice lulls, reassures, and soothes-it's rich bedtime listening for the very young. Ages 3-up. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Lala salama means sleep well in Swahili, and in this warm, loving picture-book lullaby, set in Tanzania, Mama retells the story of her baby's day, from sunrise to nighttime, in their village on Lake Tanganyika. The spacious double-page spreads in glowing red and brown shades show Mama washing and dressing the little boy in the morning and tying him to her back with a cloth. Throughout the day, as she works in the field and carries water, she can feel his heartbeat. Then, at sunset on a rose-red lake, mother and child bring Baba (the father) a basket of food, and a close-up image shows him holding the baby, singing his own sweet song in his own sweet voice, before he leaves in his boat. There are wide views of sunset and the night sky with stars above and lanterns (including Baba's) on the lake. MacLachlan spent time in Tanzania, Zunon grew up in the Ivory Coast, and their well-paced, lyrical lullaby, rooted in local detail, is universal.--Rochman, Hazel Copyright 2010 Booklist

MacLachlan imagines a Tanzanian woman singing to her baby as they go about their day together, babe secured in a "long colorful kanga" on Mother's back. The volume is not only lyrical and soothing, it's also instructive about daily activities on the banks of Lake Tanganyika. The luminous color-saturated oil paintings are calm and lovely. (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Sarah, Plain and Tall, 1985) sets her gentle picture bookcum-lullaby near Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania. Her recent Your Moon, My Moon: A Grandmother's Words to a Faraway Child, illustrated by Bryan Collier (2011), travels similar territory--sharing comforting words to a beloved young one. "Lala salama" means "sleep peacefully" in Swahili and serves as a soothing refrain in the rhythmic narrative from mother to baby as the day unfolds. Zunon's lush, softly textured oil paintings on watercolor paper reflect the warmth of the African setting and emotion-imbued prose. Saturated warm hues dominate in clearly depicting the unfamiliar, whether it be a kanga, a brightly colored cotton cloth often used as a baby sling, or "the bee-eaters" that "twitter their last songs of the day" Baba (father) plays an active role, laughing with his baby or preparing his wooden boat to join "other boats, / their flour-sack sails / fat with wind." But then night comes, and the palette deepens into rich blues and inky purples: "Close your eyes, / my / dear / child. / Lala salama." Share this with preschoolers who may enjoy a peek into another culture's family life or keep at hand for the tired child, who will most appreciate this quietly sentimental offering. (Picture book. 3-5)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.