One Grain of Sand: A Lullaby - Tapa dura

Pete Seeger, a Grammy Award winner as well as the recipient of the N.E.A. National Medal of Arts and Kennedy Center Honors, has spent sixty years singing in peace rallies, civil rights marches, schools, and camps. He is also the author of the bestselling Abiyoyo picture books.

Linda Wingerter is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. Her award-winning work has been exhibited in several galleries, and appeared in numerous publications.

PreSchool-Grade 1-A simple and gentle lullaby becomes a trip around the world that starts and ends on a small tropical island. The sun comes up as the oft-repeated phrase "One grain of sand" begins the first page of this ode to parental love. Viewed from high above, a mother observes her two children greet the sun, watching it rise from behind the mountains. The trip continues over the sea and through seaside towns and big cities, as the grain of sand is compared to a drop of water in the sea, a snowflake in a storm, or a raindrop splashed in an eye. From the cold climes of snow-covered countries to India and back to horses galloping across the American plains, the beautiful illustrations, with a palette of blues and earth tones predominating, depict various pairs of parents and children. Giraffes on the African plain, polar bears on an Arctic ice floe, and a cat and her kittens on a city rooftop all display their love before readers are returned to the original mother and children, back inside their tropical-island home now that the sun has set. In an opening note, Seeger explains that verses were added to his original lullaby over the years and includes a couple of lines of melody, explaining that the nature of this freewheeling song is that no two verses are exactly alike. Although no recording is included, the words sing as they are read aloud. A lovely choice for bedtime reading.
Jane Marino, Scarsdale Public Library, NY
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