Lullaby Wisdom: The Stories, the Songs, and the Science of Soothing (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780578316130)

Soothe your child and soothe yourself, with the loving language of lullabies, viewed through the lens of modern neuroscience. This family-friendly collection of pictures, stories, and songs gathered across four continents and five generations helps establish the bonds of a lifetime while transforming a crying and fussy child into a slumbering lamb. Proven personalized nap & bedtime routines and calming techniques update the ancient wisdom of over 20 cultures with current brain and relationship knowledge.

The singer's personal tale reads in a couple of minutes. Beautiful watercolors envision the story-tellers or their songs. The science sections have icons to indicate whose brain is changing. The neuroscience facts are fully end-noted with references and links. The glossary of terms is written from the viewpoint of the baby or toddler.

Lullaby Wisdom can be read in any order. Opening it to any song gives an experience of personal history, sleep routines, and beauty. The lullaby pages are laid out with the story above/science below, on one page, and watercolor above/music staff below, on the opposite page. Each song includes a web link to download and hear the easy-to-learn lullabies sung, usually in the voices of the care-givers who use them. There is also a section of Simple Soothers for times when words are just too stimulating.

The book was based on 10-year process of interviewing people to collect their oral histories of soothing music. In keeping with her long-held interest in how music can help heal and connect us, the author researched the relevant neuroscience to support the narratives. Lullaby Wisdom emphasizes the importance of positive social interactions during the first 3 years for developing happiness, joy, purpose, exploration, and a zest for life. These interactions of touch, holding, sound, singing, humming, and eye contact in this critical phase of development actually wire the brain to access its compassion, kindness, problem solving, and ethical responsibility.

A comforting book to immerse in or just relax with, Lullaby Wisdom is also a perfect gift for baby showers, new baby, new grandparents, expectant or new mothers, and anyone who wants to soothe another of any age with touch, image, and/or sound.