Bushland Lullaby by Sally Odgers

Ill. by Lisa Stewart. Scholastic Australia, 2013. ISBN: 9781742831787.
(Ages: 2 - 4) Highly recommended. This beautifully illustrated picture book introduces young children to a wide variety of native Australian animals, with some unexpected inclusions. The baby animals are all sleeping in their natural habitats, and the lyrical, rhyming verse captures the environment perfectly. There are a number of words not usually found in picture books, and descriptive phrases such as 'where eddies dance with winking sun' and 'where breakers sing when the wind breaks free' provide a glorious expansion of the usual pre-schoolers vocabulary.
The pastel colours of the illustrations perfectly match the gentle rhythm of the verses, and I can easily see this becoming a favourite bedtime story in many households.
Donella Reed