Lullaby

When children’s singer-songwriter Friedman died in 2011, her heartfelt, folk-style music had already become a mainstay of Reform and Conservative Judaism. This book, the first in a series based on her songs, opens with a brother and sister trying to prolong the time before lights out just a little longer. Friedman’s lyrics gently nudge the siblings (and readers) to sleep, reassuring all that “you’ll be safe throughout the night,” and reminding them, as the illustrations briefly return to the playground and other scenes of daytime life featuring pets, friends, and tears caused by a scraped knee, “You did so many things today and you’ll do so many more tomorrow.” Populated by lots of teddy bears and other comfort objects, the realistic, softly colored tableaus by Bubar, an artist who has studied animation and made films, are nicely observed, but they may strike some readers as a little too staid, even for a soporific title. The book is probably best enjoyed with the accompanying CD, which has Friedman singing in the lightly lilting melody. Ages 3–6. (Nov.)