Rainforest Lullaby

Rainforest Lullaby by Sally Odgers, illustrated by Lisa Stewart (Scholastic Australia)

HB RRP $24.99

ISBN 978-1-74283-820-5

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

A hollow log is cool and snug

Echidna's full of ants and bugs

Dozing through the steamy hours

And heavy swish of tropic showers.

An Australian rainforest is full of interesting animals - wombats, cassowaries, tree frogs, devils - and they all have their unique lifestyles and habitats. But at some point of the day or evening they all have to rest. Rainforest Lullaby tells a gentle story about the inhabitants of the rainforest and how they like to sleep.

This gorgeous picture book is by the creators of Bushland Lullaby and is written in the same beautifully rhythmic verse, smooth and gentle, perfect for bedtime reading. Young children will delight in the differing ways the animals curl up to sleep, alone or in groups.

The delicate illustrations, created using watercolour, gouache, rice papers and pencil, are wonderfully textured with soft calming colours and the animals, especially the babies, are very cute.

An attractive hardcover with thick glossy pages, this will withstand multiple reads and little hands. It is a great picture book for the young, from babies to pre-schoolers.