When the World is Dreaming

Reviewed by: Anne Donovan - Long Island Community Library, Long Island, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: November 8, 2016

Review

This lovely illustrated picture book begins with a little girl and the question asked repeatedly in rhyme: What do various little animals dream at the end of the day? "What does Little Deer dream/at the end of the day?/After the walking,/the grazing, the play." The answer for each animal is presented on the next two pages. Reality and fantasy mix as she first shows the animals hunkered down in their natural environment and the second shows them dreaming and fantasizing. The book finishes with the little girl, "Little Dreamer", tucked up in her own bed, dreaming about being surrounded by the sleeping woodland animals in her room while the moon shines down. The soft watercolor illustrations lend a dream-like quality to this book and the repetition and rhyme make this a fine choice for a Preschool or early grade story time. It will also lead to a discussion on exactly where do animals go to sleep at night. The author uses traditional type throughout except for on the pages where the dreams are described when the type changes to a softly colored hand-like writing.

Overall Book Score: very good