Nine O'Clock Lullaby

When it's 9 P.M. in Brooklyn, it's 10 P.M. in Puerto Rico, and midnight on the mid-Atlantic. Far from the vroom of New York traffic, the Puerto Rican night is filled with congo music, sweet rice, and fruit ice. In India, villagers begin their morning chores as well ropes squeak, buckets splash, and bracelets jangle. Meanwhile, in Australia, a sly kookaburra is ready for a noontime feast. Marilyn Singer's rhythmic lullaby, with bright illustrations by Frane Lessac, gently transports children through different time zones and distant lands. Young readers will travel far from home, then back again, on a glorious bedtime journey.

Marilyn Singer has written over fifty books for young readers, including poetry, fairy tales, mysteries, and young adult novels. Marilyn and her husband, Steve Aronson, live in Brooklyn, New York, where the weather in March is sometimes stormy and cold and sometimes warm and sunny. Frane Lessac is an American who has traveled all over the world. She now lives in Fremantle, Australia, but always looks forward to visiting Texas with her family. To bring the Lone Star State to life with gouache paints, Frane did extensive research using a video camera, a still camera, and actual and virtual tours. She is the illustrator of more than thirty books for children, including Capital! Washington D.C. from A to Z and New York, New York! The Big Apple from A to Z, both by Laura Krauss Melmed.