The Flyaway Blanket

In a sensitive lullaby, a small boy and his mother hang the laundry to dry on the clothesline, as she sings, “time to fly, touch the sky, fly up, high up, wave goodbye.” Jake doesn’t want to let go of his comforting blue blanket, but his mother assures him that it will soon be dry. As they sit together in the sun, Jake falls asleep, and a gust of wind sends the blanket sailing. “First it brushed against the apple tree, where a mother bird was feeding her babies,” and it soon warms a shivering calf, tickles turnip-munching bunnies, and is used by a puppy and its mother for tug-of-war. After a final gust, the mother bird tugs the blanket down to earth, “right to where it belonged,” encircling Jake and his mother in a cozy embrace. Pidgen’s cheerful artwork is reassuring, with a bright palette, loose, sweeping lines, and plenty of attention on mother-child tenderness, human and animal alike. The message about attachment, security, and sometimes letting go is conveyed subtly and organically. Ages 4–8. (Nov.)