A multimedia tribute to the great picture-book writer in her own words. This sumptuous compilation not only brings together a dozen songs by the late author of Goodnight Moon, here given new visual life in evocative spreads by 12 award-winning illustrators, but also includes a CD of Brown's lyrics set to music and performed by Tom Proutt and Emily Gary. As a whole, these nature-based songs look to animals and the seasons to remind children of the pleasures of the outdoors. Illustrators Peter Brown, Floyd Cooper, Blanca Gómez, Satoe Tone, and eight others capture the essence of bees and birds in flight, leaves adrift on the wind, or light, imagined situations like a kitten's dream or a cat the size of a pussy willow. Musically, a number of the songs, such as the magical "Snowfall," have a soft, lilting quality sure to help young listeners off to dreamland, while a couple of the more memorable settings might have the opposite effect. The sharp baritone-sax honks of ‘Buzz, Buzz, Buzz’ graphically emulate bees at work ‘in the solemn heat,’ for instance. While the collection is no doubt titled to evoke its author's most renowned work, overall these songs prove anything but drowsy. A treat for the eye, ear, and heart.” — Kirkus Reviews (STARRED review)'' “Following 2014’s Goodnight Songs (Sterling), this second volume of previously unpublished poems and songs by the legendary Margaret Wise Brown is just as enchanting and handsomely produced as the first. Twelve poems about the seasons are brought to life through art and music. Heavy hitters like David Small, Peter Brown, Molly Idle, Frank Viva, and Bob Staake join up-and-coming illustrators from around the globe such as Leo Espinoza, Dadu Shin, and Blanca Gomez. The book opens with ‘To a Child,’ the soothingly surreal invitation to ‘…run away/To a long unscheduled day,’ paired with Floyd Cooper’s dreamy oil wash on board illustrations. Subsequent poems inspire young readers to notice the natural world around them and appreciate the wondrous activity inspired by the changing seasons. There’s much whimsy to be found: in ‘The Song of the Tiny Cat,’ readers hear the tale of a jaunty feline ‘no bigger than a puzzy willow’; in ‘Bunny Jig,’ David Small’s energetic line and pitch-perfect visual timing elevates the humor of this toe-tapping ditty; and Molly Idle’s clever interpretation of Brown’s ‘Advice to Bunnies’ is as chuckle-worthy as it is charming. Along with the playfulness and joy, Brown’s verses also offer young listeners opportunities to reflect on the melancholia of change. In ‘Cherry Tree,’ Elly MacKay’s red-suited little girl makes a snow angel while lamenting that her ‘dear tree/Where the cherries were red/Is frozen and gray,/The birds are all fled.’ Parents with a young child on their lap are sure to be moved by ‘Love Song of the Little Bear,’ and the repeated refrain which goes ‘It’s a long time that I’ve loved you. Never, never go away.’ As in the first book, an included CD features Tom Proutt and Emily Gary’s musical renditions of each of Brown’s songs. Their lilting folk harmonies, country- and jazz-infused rhythms, accompanied on various tracks by mandolin, accordion, tympani, bass clarinet, and harmonica, elevate the verses and offer listeners a more complete sensory experience. VERDICT Whether read or sung aloud, this essential collection is made to be shared—and no doubt will be, again and again.” — School Library Journal
