Sugar Pie Lullaby

February 1, 2023
Preschool-Kindergarten Motown comes to bedtime routines in this sweet offering for tots. Weatherford plucks and arranges lyrics from famous Motown songs into a brand-new love song for parents and caregivers to sing to their children, with lines such as, "The way you do the things you do, / you're my dream come true. / Sweetness, you're my everything." The delightful poetry format will see kids singing, clapping, and bebopping along as page upon page shows tender scenes of Black families adoring their little ones. From tummy time and bath time to reading stories and snuggling, there are countless moments portrayed that will resonate with readers, young and old. The large-scale illustrations are just right for sharing and feature a mix of realistic scenes with dreamy ones, where the families are surrounded by clouds or stars. Parents will appreciate the appended song list, which includes artists from Marvin Gaye to Stevie Wonder, making it easy to play a song or two prior to reading this book. A heartwarming #RepresentationMatters title.

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February 13, 2023
Stringing song titles together throughout this allusive picture book, Boston Weatherford creates a poem that pays tribute to Motown. Music by Marvin Gaye, the Temptations, Stevie Wonder, and others rhythmically moves the book forward, while Cloud’s soft-edged digital illustrations depict doting Black-cued caregivers and their multi-age charges in an array of domestic spaces and actions that map loosely to a typical nighttime routine. Figures dance to a record (“Baby love, little bitty precious one”); a play space sees some tummy time (“I was born to love you”); and a bubble-filled bathtub (“Shoo-bee-do-bee-do-bee-do-dah-day”) leads to a series of cozy bedroom scenes of final snuggles and co-sleeping. Scattered throughout, stars, hearts, and music notes amplify the text’s lyrical and loving message. An author’s note and list of the featured songs conclude. Ages 4–8.