Mermaid Lullaby 
Briana Corr Scott 
Nimbus Publishing
(Ages 0-3)

After It Rains 
Joanne Schwartz, illustrated by Angela Doak 
Nimbus Publishing 
(Ages 0-3) 

Two delightful and visually arresting new board books for the very youngest of readers will make their way into homes and hearts this season. Briana Corr Scott’s Mermaid Lullaby is a gentle, lilting bedtime ode to the sea and its denizens. The soothing verse rolls easily off the tongue and has a light, musical cadence, while the illustrations are soft and diffused with warmth and light.   

The opening pages depict a joyful and diverse group of baby mermaids frolicking in the sea with loving mer-moms ever near. But when the sun goes down and bedtime draws near, even merbabies must rest whilst seabirds soar and playful seals swim nearby. The beautiful expression of light on the water and the soft and richly hued illustrations, with their filigreed lines, work perfectly with the text to evoke just the right tone for bedtime. 

In After It Rains, author Joanne Schwartz and illustrator Angela Doak have together crafted a charming and exquisite counting book celebrating the wonders to be found in the wake of the rain. From the ONE big puddle in the backyard to the FIVE snails on the fence post and SEVEN bands of colour in the rainbow that fills the sky with its beauty, Schwartz highlights the many delightful discoveries there are to make and to share after the rain.   

Doak’s exquisite and uncluttered collage illustrations are playful, brightly coloured and add just the right amount of visual texture to each page to provide depth and dimension. This is ONE counting book that countless numbers of children and parents will savour and enjoy.