Dream: A Tale of Wonder, Wisdom and Wishes

by Susan V. Bosak, Robert Ingpen (Illustrator), James Bennett (Illustrator)

Overview

15 of the top illustrators in the world each offer a gorgeously illustrated page in a beautifully told poetic story about life's hopes and dreams from childhood to adulthood, inspiring both children and adults.

From the smallest personal beginnings to the largest human triumphs, why are we here if not to dream? As you open the Dream Chest, you're whisked away on a colorful journey of a lifetime. WHOOSH through the teddy bears and castles of childhood. WHOOSH again into the labyrinths and mountains of adolescence and adulthood. Richly detailed contemporary art, thought-provoking quotations from historical sages, and a multilayered story combine to convey a simple yet powerful message—you're never too young or too old to dream.

Dream: A Tale of Wonder, Wisdom & Wishes is a one-of-a-kind collaboration five years in the making. Bestselling author Susan V. Bosak (Something to Remember Me By, Science Is...) has teamed with fifteen internationally-acclaimed illustrators—including winners of the Hans Christian Andersen Medal and Caldecott Medal. You'll find original illustrations by Wayne Anderson, James Bennett, Christian Birmingham, Raúl Colón, Leo and Diane Dillon, Robert Ingpen, Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher, Michèle Lemieux, Barbara Reid, Shaun Tan, and more.

Don't forget to hunt for the star each artist has hidden in their illustration—and make a new wish with each one you find! Teachers can get classroom-tested reading tips and activities to use with Dream.

This is an inspiring celebration of living and dreaming for all ages. It's a book to explore and discuss with children, a keepsake and collector's item, and a lovely gift book for milestones like a birth or graduation, the holidays and birthdays. Dream offers wonder, wisdom, and good wishes—for everyone who dreams.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781896232041
Publisher:	Communication Project, The
Publication date:	12/01/2004
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	161,110
Product dimensions:	11.10(w) x 8.60(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	8 - 18 Years

What People are Saying About This

Jodie Lynn

What a beautiful book! As a syndicated columnist, I get more than 20 books a day -- every day -- and I must say I was wonderfully surprised by this incredible book. It's unlike anything else I've seen come across my desk. It's not just a book -- it's an opportunity to be inspired, learn, and to grow. This is an awesome book. I would highly recommend it for parents and grandparents to share with children, and for adults looking for a meaningful gift for anyone they care about.

Editorial Reviews

This elegant book depicts the journey of life, highlighting all the hopes and dreams found along the way... Richly crafted and thoughtfully written, Dream is a dazzling project that challenges us to find a dream and follow it.

Bloomsbury Review

One of the most sumptuous books we've ever held in our hot little hands! A gorgeous collaborative effort... With a timeless message that will become even more meaningful as your child grows, Dream is truly a treasure!

ePregnancy Magazine

A beautifully illustrated and enlightening book... It encourages you to look back on your life and forward to your future, to be content with what you've done and to be hopeful and confident about your potential. I've already decided to buy this book for my grandmother, my sister, and my boyfriend, and I'm sure I'll think of many more loved ones that I must gift this treasure to!

MB Magazine

A fantastic picturebook featuring lavish color illustrations and a beautiful verse, all about the inspiration, majesty, beauty, and incredible thoughts that can spring from dreams. From fabulous inventions, to the strength of inner beliefs, to learning how to overcome the challenges of growing up, dreams offer an important contribution to growing as a person, and Dream celebrates their role in pursuing a fulfilled life. Dreams grow like seeds./They need to take root,/then stretch toward the sun./They grow slowly./They must be tended to./And sometimes a gray day/gives them just the rain they need.

Midwest Book Review

Bosak's (Something to Remember Me By) inspirational gift book urges children to go ahead and dream, and tells them how. The narrator says that dreams are living things-"Dreams grow like seeds./ They need to take root,/ then stretch toward the sun./ They grow slowly./ They must be tended to"-and details the strength that each stage of human life brings to bear on the process. "To grow a dream/ .../ You need/ the Believe of childhood,/ the Do of youth,/ and the Think of experience." Although the narrator ably describes a journey of spiritual unfolding, he or she remains unseen, so readers lack a character to guide them through this interior journey. An assortment of artists, each of whom provide one-and-a-half page illustrations, and their varied styles lead to a fragmented visual experience, further distancing youngsters from the book. Because the artwork of Raul Colon and of Leo and Diane Dillon appears as pairs of illustrations on consecutive spreads, their images work most effectively; they convey a progression that parallels the text. Other standout images include Barbara Reid's plasticine bas-relief of a girl looking through her legs ("When my legs began to take me places,/ my favorite colors were bright"), and Michele Lemieux's drawing in blue ink depicting human figures perched along the kinks and snarls of an enormous ropelike structure, aptly representing the teen years. But too often the stand-alone illustrations make for a disjointed reading experience, contributing to a sense of the book as a beautifully produced (extended) greeting card. Ages 5-9. (Nov.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Gr 5 Up-This potpourri of quotations from historical sages, art from contemporary children's book illustrators, and Bosak's personal reflections is a picture book whose primary audience will be adults. It may also prove popular as a graduation gift, in the vein of Dr. Seuss's Oh, the Places You'll Go! (Random, 1990). The narrative consists of the author's ruminations on the stages of life from infancy to old age, each linked to a color. The first spread, done in chalk pastels by British artist Christian Birmingham, depicts a scene of a child in a sunlit crib. It is accompanied by a quote from T.S. Eliot on the subject of exploration and Bosak's musings on the coziness of childhood (yellow). Adolescence (blue) is an ink-on-paper sketch by Canadian Mich le Lemieux of knotted tubes and scattered people at varying degrees of togetherness or isolation; the theme is choice. While children may enjoy the pictures, they will not relate to the gray challenges of older adulthood and the penultimate green of balanced maturity, rendered by Leo and Diane Dillon in a painting reminiscent of their cover for To Everything There Is a Season (Blue Sky, 1998). The book opens with a rainbow-decorated definition of "dream" and concludes with information about each image and illustrator, punctuated by questions adapted from Visual Thinking Strategies. The art varies in quality, the writing is cliched, and the perspective is that of a pensive adult. Notes and a Web site address for the publisher's Legacy Project are appended.-Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

The subtitle indicates the purpose, though the text is less a tale than a tract that shapes a lifetime journey through hopes and dreams. Beginning with a baby and moving through the labyrinths of adolescence and adulthood, the poetic prose correlates colors with wishes and dreams. Each double spread has different illustrators (mostly well known), a poem about color, a quote from a famous person and the phrase "Dream a Dream with Me." The illustrators are not identified until the backmatter, in which two pages explore the pictures and describe the artists' intent. As part of the Legacy Project, the message aims to be inspirational, fueling children's aspirations but, though this is attractive, the child appeal is extremely limited. Perhaps it's useful to adults looking to instill children with the belief they can attain their dreams. (activities kit and traveling exhibit available, interactive Web site) (Picture book. 7-9)First printing of 75,000

Kirkus Reviews