a spoken word lullaby full of hope, gentle wishes, and love
/KISSED BY THE MOON
by Alison Lester - Penguin Books Australia, 2013
ages newborn to grown-up / Australia, heartwarmers
Kissed by the Moon is more a lullaby with pictures than a story book. The perfect ‘snuggle down to sleep’ book.
In it, a baby grows and moves through early life to the tune of beautifully worded wishes from a loving adult.
The illustrations are classic Alison Lester (the little house on the title page is almost the same as the ‘welcome home’ house in The Journey Home – one of my favourite houses ever).
There’s a fairy floss sunset over a peaceful bay, a riotous flower garden, loyal pets playing on an ocean shoreline, Australian animals peeking out of a forest and so much more to enjoy.
The words read like lyrics or like a cheerful prayer, there's a certain lilt to them when read aloud. And they’ll bring an internal sigh of longing from any adult because they do indeed represent many of our very best wishes for our babies. If I had to choose a favourite line I suppose it would be:
“May you grow sleepy at sunset, sing to the stars, and drift into dreams.”
But that might be my subconscious talking since none of my babies could sleep at night!
At the end of a weary day or a joyful one, this little book will probably come out again and again. I bought it as a welcome present for my new grandson William – it suits his family and some of my fondest wishes for him are in it. (That's William in the pic, with his big sister Savannah reading Kissed by the Moon to him.)
This is a truly lovely book for:
New Parents or parents-to-be
Babies and toddlers who need gentle words and soothing tones to settle to sleep
Children who have behaved badly and need to sit closely with someone they love and have kind words spoken to them
Australian ex-pat families who want to remember the beauty in Australia
Teens and young adults embarking on new adventures - because we wish the same for them:
“May you, my baby, follow the rivers, wander the mountains, and walk in the wild.”
You can buy Kissed by the Moon via these direct links: Amazon - Book Depository - Booktopia
