Mushroom Lullaby

Mushrooms provide an unconventional and earthy through line for this cozy bedtime book. Rhyming lines open with a simple introduction to different types of fungi (“This is a mushroom that grows in the park./ This is a mushroom that glows in the dark”), but the story soon takes a more personal and interactive slant: “And here is a mushroom made just for you./ Your friends can come, too.” A game- and lemonade-filled day with bug pals—including a ladybug, centipede, and a pair of butterflies—ensues, until dusk arrives and the door to “your” mushroom house is flung open. Up “soft mushroom stair” the reader discovers a round room with a “big mushroom chair” and a “warm/ mushroom bed”—a welcoming space in which to snuggle down as the full moon peeks through a circular window. Intricate dots and lines define Kraegel’s ink and watercolor art, which quaintly supports this enchanted, inviting portrait of a mushroom day and night. Ages 2–5. [em](Oct.) [/em]