YOU CAN ALSO HEAR THE ENTIRE SONG ON YOUTUBE:
About our book:
“Your day’s been long and full of fun. But, now you’re much too tired to run,” sings the parent to the child in the lullaby. Day’s End Lullaby has lyrical and rhyming phrases along with a rhythmic flow.
Author Cioffi composed the poem and music over 30 years ago to help her first born fall asleep and continued to use it for her second child. She saw positive results in singing it and now she sings it to her two young grandsons. She reassures them, “The sun has set, it’s out of view. The moon’s now shining bright for you.”
Authors Cioffi and Feltman wrote Day’s End Lullaby as a loving book to comfort little ones and provide a sense of security at bedtime. The simple and colorful illustrations are intended to hold the child’s attention while the parent’s soothing voice helps the child gently drift off into a peaceful slumber. Day's End Lullaby will be a perfect addition to every child's bedtime routine.
About the Authors:
Karen Cioffi and Robyn Feltman are advocates of education, reading and the environment. Two of their favorite sayings are:
“Nothing ventured, nothing gained”
“You must be the change you want to see in the world”
Karen Cioffi is a former accountant turned award-winning author and children's ghostwriter. She is the founder and editor-in-chief of Writers on the Move: a group of authors who utilize cross-promotion to increase visibility and readership. In addition, she offers professional writing services. Karen lives with her husband, Donald Ventrice, in Long Island.
Robyn Feltman holds two Master’s Degrees: Children’s Literature, and Administration and Supervision. She is a fourth grade elementary public school teacher. She is also an initiator of environmental and humanitarian projects in her school; one of these projects is the Oambassador Program. Robyn lives with her son Anthony in Long Island, New York.
Day's End Lullaby is available at: Amazon.com
CHECK OUT DAY'S END LULLABY SINGING VIDEO BOOK REVIEW:
http://www.lullaby-link.com/days-end-lullaby.html
YOU CAN ALSO HEAR THE ENTIRE SONG ON YOUTUBE:
Here are a couple of Reviews:
Queens Chronicle
From childhood lullaby to bedtime book
A Howard Beach duo turned a family poem into a children’s book
by Lee Landor, Editor
12/04/2008
It’s no secret that getting young children to sleep can be a parental nightmare. Karen Cioffi discovered that when her first daughter — a “very poor sleeper” — was born in 1976.
Cioffi would pace up and down the hallways of her Howard Beach home, carrying her squirming baby, hoping the rhythm would soothe her to sleep. Frustrated with the ordeal, Cioffi wrote a poem about it and began reciting it on her nightly trips with baby Kimberly.
“Your day’s been long and full of fun, but now you’re much too tired to run,” the poem read. “The sun has set, it’s out of view. The moon’s now shining bright for you.”
She began adding melody to the rhyming lyrics and eventually turned it into a lullaby. It quickly became a family favorite: Cioffi sang the song to her second child and now she sings it to her young grandson. The verses were such a hit within the family and among friends that eventually it became a book.
With the help of her younger daughter, now 28-year-old Robyn Feltman, a fourth-grade teacher at P.S. 63 in Ozone Park, Cioffi created “Day’s End Lullaby,” which she calls a “tender and charming” children’s book.
Feltman, who holds a master’s degree in children’s literature, had suggested that she and her mother partner up and turn the beloved lullaby into an illustrated bedtime book for young children.
In a description of their book, Cioffi and Feltman wrote, “From a reminder that the sun has set and all beloved toys are awaiting tomorrow’s play, ‘Day’s End Lullaby’ soothes and quiets even those children who struggle against sleep.”
What makes the book so effective is that it was born of the authors’ understanding of the sense of security children need at bedtime, according to Cioffi, who illustrated the book.
She and Feltman worked for eight months to create the 28-page book, which comes with the sheet music Cioffi developed for the poem two and a half years ago, when her first grandson, Christian, was born.
“My children and I find it works very well in soothing little ones,” Cioffi said of her lullaby. “I think the combination of the gentle melody and the loving message works, along with a loved one’s voice.”
The mother-daughter team wanted to share the cherished lullaby with other families and parents struggling to keep their kids in bed. They decided to self-publish: they spread the word to friends, family and neighbors, and gave the Howard Beach library branch a copy of the book. The pair also created bookmarks, postcards, business cards and flyers to help market the book.
Because they did not use mainstream publishing, the book is only available for purchase online. It can be found on several websites, including those of Amazon, Booksurge, Alibris, Abebooks, Books in Print, Global Books in Print and Baker and Taylor.
Helena Harper
Day's End Lullaby
By Karen Cioffi and Robyn Feltman
Reviewed by Helena Harper (11 July, 2009)
A delightful lullaby to soothe both children and adults!
Mother and daughter writing team, Karen Cioffi and Robyn Feltman, have written and composed a delightful lullaby to soothe babies and young children to sleep. The rhyming text, the colourful pictures and the soft music combine into a wonderful, relaxing experience for both adults and children. I found my own concerns just drifting away as I listened to the music and enjoyed the words. The imagery used at the end of the book with 'Mr Sandman' kissing the child's thoughts and turning them into dreams, so that the child would then wake to 'morning's first sun-kissed gleams' particularly appealed to the poet in me.
The musical score can be found at the back of the book and you can listen to a recording on the authors' website. It would be ideal if the book had a CD included with it, but after listening just a few times to the music on the website, I had picked up the tune and was easily matching the words to the music. The book can be enjoyed, however, even without the music because of the rhyming text and the pictures. The latter are very suitable, I think, for babies and young children as they are colourful, uncluttered and clear. In my opinion this book will delight all young children, whether they find it difficult to go to sleep or not and I look forward to future works produced by this mother/daughter team.
Helena Harper, author of It's a Teacher's Life...! and Family and More – Enemies or Friends?
http://www.helenaharper.com
http://helenaharpersblog.blogspot.com
You can find more reviews at Amazon.com
