From Publishers Weekly
Like the easy, winding bayou, slow Cajun rhythms swing through this night song: "Rockabye you bayou gal,/ Cattails be a-swishin'/ Softly sigh, oh bayou gal,/ On a star be wishin'." Appelt weaves regional details with universal images that summon up the floating, swaying sensations of sleep: a "pirogue" (boat) gently bobbing "atop the water chocolat"; a bullfrog's voice stretching in crescendo ("King Armand be whistlin'/ To crawdads 'neath the waves"), then quieting toward dawn; water wending toward the sea through the dark tangled roots of cypress trees. Distinctive speech rhythms and rhymes rest lightly on the ear; nouveau Cajun devotees will find a helpful glossary of six important words (the term "Cajun," however, receives no definition). Waldman's art (The Tyger; Light) seems more playful and more dynamic here than previously. Against the black of night, his stylized acrylic paintings extend their blue palette toward violet and green. An inspired pairing of author and artist. Ages 2-up.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--Ce texte provient d'une édition qui n'est plus publiée ou qui est non diponible.
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Up?Appelt has written a rhythmic, soothing lullaby for a little girl who lives in a house by the banks of the bayou: "Rockabye, you bayou gal,/Cattails be a-swishin'/Softly sigh, oh bayou gal,/On a star be wishin'." The verse is evocative and lovely, but the true merit of the book lies in Waldman's double-page acrylic paintings. Each scene is a self-contained work of art and a visual feast. He has set the swamp's luminous flora and fauna against a velvety black background, and richly fluorescent shades of greens, purples, blues, and teals decorate the pages. A stunning picture book.?Judy Constantinides, East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
