Coorie Doon. A Scottish Lullaby Story

‘Coorie doon, coorie doon – snuggle down’, Shona’s dad would sing her to sleep with these words, so soft and beguiling, sending Shona to her dreams. Here she meets her friends, follows Lassie the sheepdog to the fields, while in the world the moon is seen off by the stars, trees rustle and foxes prowl across the yard. Shona has grown up – now it is her turn to whisper ‘coorie doon’ to her father while outside in the night sky the moon still shines down following its phases. It is Shona’s turn to sing traditional songs, and now that the moon is full – the horse moon – to wave to it as it waves back.

The subtitle of this picture book is A Scottish Lullaby Story, and this is the perfect description. As a lullaby and poem it does not need a narrative, rather the gentle hypnotic marshalling of words to create atmosphere and a particular experience. It is one that is timeless. Just as a baby, a small child – even an older child is lulled by the flow of these gentle words and familiar rhymes, so an old man can be soothed by the same words, the same moon. Picture books bringing poetry to life are becoming familiar. They look to marry the best of the imagination, the most considered words, with illustration. This is a risky move – poetry, in principle, does not need a visual accompaniment. It could be a real failure.  Here we have an example to cherish. The illustrations by Jill Calder are particularly striking bringing the perfect visual accompaniment to the poet’s words. The distinction between the real world and the dream world is cleverly managed by the use of colour and line. We meet Shona and her father, bold, saturated colours, animated graphics while as Shona dreams the artwork becomes ethereal and soft pastels fill the page and images overlap to fill the spreads.  Calder’s art reflects the flow of the poet’s imagination. Above all, Shona is not just a name, here she is presented as a real person both a child and then an adult. Jackie Kay’s notes at the end invite the audience to think about their own experiences, a gentle nudge to parents and teachers.