Review - Dream Animals: A Bedtime Journey

Dream Animals: A Bedtime Journey
by Emily Winfield Martin
Date: 2013
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

Ideal for bed time reading, this book will appeal to parents and children who love Grandfather Twilight and On the Night That You Were Born. Author, illustrator, and creator of The Black Apple Etsy shop, Emily Martin convinces children to close their eyes and discover who their dream animal might be—and what dream it might take them to. With a perfect nighttime rhyme and gorgeous illustrations, this book is irresistible.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I love picture books with beautiful illustrations.  This book has plenty of those!

The basic premise here is that dreamers are carried to dreamland by one of a number of friendly animals.  Along with a pretty decent rhyming narrative, there are illustrations throughout: monochrome blue ones that depict the sleeping children in "real life" and full-colour ones that depict their fantastical travels in dreamland.

I hadn't read anything by this author/illustrator before, but now I'm intrigued.  There is a companion book to this one, called Day Dreamers: A Journey of Imagination, that just came out in August.  She's also published the crafty-sounding The Black Apple's Paper Doll Primer: Activities and Amusements for the Curious Paper Artist, which looks like a lot of fun.

This is a short-but-cute book that will probably appeal to kids, as well as to the parents who might be reading the bedtime stories.  The illustrations are darling and the poetry flows nicely.  I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this one.

Quotable moment:

These creatures are the reason

Dreamers get where dreamers go.

Dreamland is too far to run

And sleepy feet, too slow.

Recommended to: fans of the illustrator's work; young children who like to hear a soothing rhyme before bed

Premise: 4/5
Meter: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 5/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 4.14 out of 5

New to the TBR Pile (3)

From the library:

Dream Animals: A Bedtime Journey
by Emily Winfield Martin

Ideal for bed time reading, this book will appeal to parents and children who love Grandfather Twilight and On the Night That You Were Born. Author, illustrator, and creator of The Black Apple Etsy shop, Emily Martin convinces children to close their eyes and discover who their dream animal might be—and what dream it might take them to. With a perfect nighttime rhyme and gorgeous illustrations, this book is irresistible.

Flora and the Flamingo
by Molly Idle

In this innovative wordless picture book with interactive flaps, Flora and her graceful flamingo friend explore the trials and joys of friendship through an elaborate synchronized dance. With a twist, a turn, and even a flop, these unlikely friends learn at last how to dance together in perfect harmony. Full of humor and heart, this stunning performance (and splashy ending!) will have readers clapping for more!

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
by Anne Isaacs
illustrated by Kevin Hawkes

When Widow Tulip Jones of Bore, England, inherits a ranch in By-Golly Gully, Texas, and moves in with two trunks of tea, twelve pet tortoises, and three servants, hilarity ensues. The peaceful life suits the wealthy widow fine until word gets out and every unmarried man in Texas lines up to marry her. Widow Tulip and her small staff of three can't possibly run the farm and manage all the suitors, so she devises a plan—and it just might work. This story filled with giant tortoises, 1,000 brides, bad guys, a smart widow, and even a little romance is sure to get kids laughing.

Thomas' Snowsuit
by Robert Munsch
illustrated by Michael Martchenko

The fun begins as an epic battle starts to get Thomas to wear his new brown snowsuit - which he dislikes. Thomas' Snowsuit relates an everyday family event that all children, and parents, will recognise.

Freebie from Amazon.ca:

The Space in Between
by Jen Minkman

When Moira helps out her sister and brother in a Wiccan ritual on Halloween, the last thing she expects is to be swept away to a mystical wilderness. Sitting within the stones of the ancient circle of Penmaenmawr, Wales, she's convinced it's an illusion. But the dark-haired, handsome man with amnesia that Moira meets during her trance cannot be blinked away like a dream.

Hayko, the mysterious stranger, won’t let go. After returning home from her stone circle adventure, Moira is beckoned back night after night to the outlandish dreamland by an invisible force. But the hardest part isn't having to fight the terrifying creatures of these nightmares--it's realizing she’s falling for a guy without a past who isn’t real.

What if you really can fall in love with the man of your dreams?

What's new to your TBR pile this week?  Let me know in the comments!