Time to Rest (Jack Carty, illus Natasha Carty, Scholastic)

Husband and wife team Jack and Natasha Carty have collaborated on a new children’s book for the first time. Time to Rest is written as a lullaby, with songwriter and poet Jack Carty drawing on gentle language to lull readers to sleep. The song uses rhyme and repetition to encourage readers to imagine all the animals outside who are also tucking in for the night. While wombats burrow and stingrays glide beneath waves, a parent lovingly watches over the little one on the pages of this book, keeping them safe as they drift into dreams. Illustrator Natasha Carty showcases the family of the story, as well as the Australian fauna and landscape that surround them, to great effect in her debut children’s book. Charming details include native floral endpapers that match the child’s bedspread, as well as the clever addition of a QR code that links to a recording of the Time to Rest lullaby song performed by Jack Carty himself. Families will surely enjoy reading this book, as well as singing along together. Time to Rest is the perfect bedtime companion for all ages.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Karys McEwen is a librarian, author and the current vice president of CBCA VIC Branch. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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