Nine O'Clock Lullaby

Rating:
Summary: what is happening around the world at various times
Review: This is a unique concept: show a flash of what is happening in various countries at different times of the day. We are taken on a journey around the world, at one hour increments to see what is happening. Some of the time frames are strange, like a 2 am snack in the pantry in England!

We see a child getting read a bedtime story in Brooklyn NY USA, partying in Puerto Rico, shopping at market in China, barbeque in Australia, handcrafting in Samoa, etc.

The pictures are cute, with lots going on in the illustrations to talk about. There isn't a real story here, I assume the point is to show various cultures and talk about the detailed illustrations. The only thing that bothers me is the snapshot of what they are doing can be so limiting, for example, having England illustrated as snacking in the middle of the night and Russia being depicted as a cat knocking an item over and waking up the inhabitants of the house. How real is that of a depiction of their society? It is a cute book but doesn't have enough of a true depiction of different countries for the parent to have a discussion with the child.

For a taste of other cultures I prefer "Children Like Me".