Nighttime Symphony

Sophisticated nighttime spreads by Myers (Wings) and Kaa Illustration accompany this lullaby about a stormy city night by rapper Timbaland, making his debut, and Myers. The group reimagines the scary sounds of a storm as an energetic symphony for a child watching out his window. An African-American father holds his young son as rain spatters against the boy's bedroom windows: "Hey there, darling baby child,/ you're safe in here/ though the storm is wild." The boy is uncertain, his hand around his father's wrist, but the father puts the boy to bed, "safe in sound." As the narration continues to reassure ("Do you hear the raindrops tap/ upon the windows of your nap?"), glittering musical notes appear across the dark sky outside. Meter stays tight ("Radios sing in every home,/ steady like the city's metronome") until, after a clap of thunder, the verse halts to speak words of comfort: "The angels too/ are musicians." Brilliant golds, slate grays, and bright vermilion show passersby, a parade of umbrellas, and an elegant cityscape, and the sleek aesthetic gives the city's wet streets and glowing windows all the surprising glamor of a thumping storm. Ages 4-8. (May)

As a storm rages outside, a Black father soothes his young son by helping him to find beauty in the sounds of the storm. In this charming poem, Timbaland, Myers, and Kaa Illustration join forces to bring the music of the night to life. Full-page spreads of rich, digitally rendered illustrations mix harmoniously with the lyrical groove of the tapping of rain, rolling thunder, and honking cars create a treat for readers' eyes and ears. This book could help temper the anxieties of children who are afraid of stormy weather or it could be paired with Wendy Cheyette Lewison's Raindrop, Plop! for a lovely rain-themed storytime. VERDICT Beautiful illustrations and a soothing lullaby make this a solid purchase for school and public libraries.—India Winslow, Cary Memorial Library, Lexington, MA