When the World Is Dreaming

June 20, 2016
In a series of poems and airy illustrations, Gray and Pak (who most recently collaborated on Flowers Are Calling) consider the dreams of woodland creatures, observed in their habitats by a straight-haired, dark-skinned girl. With the reassuring repetition of nursery rhymes, each poem takes the same form. The first two stanzas frame the question (“What does Little Snake dream at the end of the day?/ After the wriggling, the sunning, the play,” begins one); the third presents the creature’s reply (“Catching the wind, the kite sets sail,/ and trailing behind, I am the tail!”); and the fourth bids it goodnight. Other animals’ dreams are just as fanciful: two deer take shelter from the rain under a giant mushroom cap, a rabbit flies with a pair of cabbage-leaf wings. Pak’s gauzy spreads combine misty greens, pale grays, and tints that fade to white to suggest the first whispers of spring. In the end, the girl dreams a magical dream of her own. It’s one more way that animals resemble humans, Gray suggests, and that humans reveal their animal natures. Ages 4–7. Author’s agent: Fiona Kenshole, Transatlantic Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Kirsten Hall, Catbird Agency.

July 1, 2016
The dreams of woodland creatures--and one Little Dreamer's--take the spotlight in this whimsical exploration of nighttime fantasies."What does the Little Snake dream / at the end of the day? / After the wriggling, / the sunning, the play." An unnamed narrator poses the question as a black-haired, light-brown-skinned girl observes a snake slithering through grass. An answer follows in the next spread: the text shifts into the first person (and the type into one that emulates hand printing) as the snake fantasizes about sailing the skies as a kite's tail. A pattern soon forms. Using a gentle rhyming scheme, Gray introduces readers to Little Deer, Little Newt, and other creatures in their natural environments before plumbing the depths of their dreams. Delight comes in the shape of the unexpected. For example, Little Turtle's dream of a Sky Turtle "playing hide-and-seek" stuns in its quiet simplicity. Pak's watercolor pictures capture the wistful tone during moments like these. Hazy, smeared colors and loose lines reflect the relaxed pace of the story, mitigating the danger-filled undercurrent that occasionally pops up. (The illustration for Little Mouse's dream of leaving "that cat behind on shore" obscures a strange tension in retrospect.) After each creature shares its dream, the girl must share hers. "What does Little Dreamer dream / at the end of the day?" That question may apply to readers as well. A hushed, lyrical glimpse into the world of dreamers. (Picture book. 4-7)

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September 1, 2016

PreS-Gr 1-A solitary girl, leaf and flower tucked into her windblown hair, follows a variety of animals through a meadow, pondering the nature of their dreams. With two spreads per subject, each of her musings begins with a question, e.g., "What does Little Deer dream at the end of the day? After the walking, the grazing, the play." This pattern repeats for the snake, the newt, the rabbit, the mouse, the turtle, and the "dreamer" herself, substituting the next creature and changing the two gerunds. While the repetition is likely intended to induce sleep, the use of the same closing verses for each animal and lines that sometimes strain to scan in the descriptions of the dreams make the result a bit monotonous. The dreams themselves have child appeal, especially as realized by Pak's verdant watercolor and digital scenes. The protagonist appears to be exploring during daylight in a grassy area near home; the pages are often framed with leafy branches or pond plants. There's a small degree of excitement or tension in the dreams-the snake imagines soaring as a kite tail; the deer shelters under a mushroom during a thunderstorm. The creatures sleep blissfully, "safe and warm," as does the child, ultimately, tucked in and surrounded by her outdoor friends. The book opens with a haiku poem written by the 18th-century Japanese poet Fukuda Chiyo-ni: "ah butterfly/of what do you dream/folding your wings?" VERDICT While the inspiration, ideas, and illustrations are lovely, the spare grace of that original thought is lost in this interpretation.-Wendy Lukehart, District of Columbia Public Library

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