[Nonfiction Wednesday] Nature’s Beautiful Otherworldliness in a Lullaby

Myra here.

We are delighted to join the Nonfiction Picture Book meme 2020 hosted by Alyson Beecher @ Kid Lit Frenzy. We would also be linking our nonfiction choices with our reading themes throughout the year, when we can.

Mother Earth’s Lullaby: A Song For Endangered Animals

(Amazon | Book Depository)

Written by Terry Pierce Illustrated by Carol Heyer
Published by Tilbury House Publishers (2018)
ISBN: 0884485579 (ISBN13: 9780884485575)
Borrowed via Singapore’s NLB Overdrive. E-Book photos taken by me.

With climate change upon us, I find it heartening that there are concept picturebooks like these that remain hopeful and empowering. Told in rhyming verse, it is an ode (as the title indicates) to endangered animals such as the sumatran tiger, the yellow-footed rock wallaby, among others.

The book opens up to an image of a mother reading aloud to two children: a recurrent element throughout the pages with endangered animals shown to be with their cubs, calves, younglings. The entire book is, after all, mother earth’s lullaby to its creatures.

While I am not a huge fan of rhyming text, I would have to say that the art took center stage in this narrative. There is also an extensive backmatter describing each featured endangered creature. I especially appreciated the very positive and empowering message about the many efforts done to help preserve endangered animals and ways through which the reader can be of help, at the end of the book.